A Happy Medium
by dragondustbubblez
Summary: During the long, peaceful hours after his birth, the adoptive parents of Katsuya have ceased to show up. Now Kyou and Tohru have had no choice but to bring him home. Only time will tell whether or not he stays for good . . . SEQUEL TO LEARNING TO COPE
1. Shadows

**YEEESH! It's finally up. ^^ Thanks for being patient guys! I really hope the second part to this story does not disappoint! :D**

**PS: For those of you who haven't read the first part, Learning to Cope, I highly suggest you go back and check it out. Or else you may be confuzled!!! X) Bare with the first few chapters though.... Didn't have the best story structure back then. =S**

~A Happy Medium~

During the long, peaceful hours after his birth, the adoptive parents of Katsuya have ceased to show up. Now Kyou and Tohru have had no choice but to bring him home. Only time will tell whether or not he stays for good . . .

~:~:~::~:~:~

Chapter 1 – Shadows

The house stood dreadfully still a few moments at a time. Only the wind blowing outside provided background noise within its walls. Shadows rose and fell from the closed window as the nearby tree branches slowly swayed, as if dancing to a sad ballad. And it was dark. Only the moonlight and lit the earth below . . .

Kyou and Tohru knelt silently by the yellow cradle, side by side. They rocked it slowly as Katsuya slept soundlessly with a steady breath. Tohru couldn't help but to smile contently. Kyou, however, felt differently. He knew that no matter how much the darkness of the room could seem to hide his grim expression, he wouldn't be able to hide it from her much longer.

"Kyou?" Tohru whispered softly. " . . . Are you alright?"

"Yeah . . ." Kyou replied. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine. What's wrong?"

Kyou turned his head away and bit his lip. Tohru turned to him and tenderly took his hands.

"Want to talk to me?"

Kyou stayed still but nodded slightly. Tohru left the cradle and led Kyou to her room. Closing the door, she sat on her bed with Kyou by her side. She smiled up at him, trying to see his face within the darkness.

"Want me to turn on the lights?" Kyou asked, hesitantly. Tohru shook her head.

"It's okay. Something tells me that you want the lights off tonight."

Kyou blushed, thankful that it was so dark and that she couldn't see his face burn. Tohru lightly put her hand on his leg and looked up at him.

"Kyou . . ." she said softly.

"I'm . . . I'm afraid . . ." Kyou stuttered suddenly. "I-I shouldn't be, but . . ."

"It's okay to be scared. I'm . . . I'm scared too. But soon the parents will call to take Katsuya with them. When he's gone, everything . . . e-everything will return to normal again. He'll be okay without us."

"But are you going to be okay?"

" . . . . . I'll be fine. I just can't get attached to Katsuya, that's all."

"Tohru . . . . . you know damn well that that's impossible for you at this point. Are you sure you'll be okay knowing that?"

"I still have to try, don't I? Besides, it'll be better for him and for us. We'll have . . . We'll have more time to be together. And when we get old enough, we can get a home together and we . . . can go on from there."

Kyou smiled smugly to himself.

"Soooo . . ." he started, quietly. "You have . . . plans?"

Tohru blushed cheerfully and giggled sheepishly, while keeping her voice low.

"Well . . . I did have a few ideas."

"Wanna share them with me?"

"Umm . . . s-sure. If you want me to."

"Well, I'm waiting."

Kyou smirked and lay back on her bed, his thigh touching hers. Tohru blushed and began.

"I picture a . . . . a small, little condo that we can start out in that's close to a Japanese garden, where we can go have picnics. Then, we could watch the sunset from the roof . . . That's all I can think of right now."

Kyou chuckled.

"Very . . . uh . . . nice."

"Do you have any ideas, Kyou?"

"Not really . . . I don't really care what we do as long as we're together."

Tohru beamed at him with gratitude. Getting up, she grabbed her sleepwear and made a bee-line for the bathroom, while Kyou quickly changed in her room. It was now a beginning habit, just for the fact that Kyou gave up his room for Katsuya. He didn't mind that much, considering that he got to spend his nights sleeping beside the dingbat.

But it was under once condition. Shigure made them vow to hold off on intercourse until the situation with Katsuya was fixed, since the fruits of their labor only created trouble. Neither Kyou nor Tohru really minded much, since their sexual urges only arose once in a blue moon. Still, he was starting to get a bit antsy about it all.

Since he no longer had his room, he couldn't relieve himself of his desires alone. Still, he did everything in his power to hide the fact that he was craving Tohru's sexual attention in order to reassure that it wasn't the only thing on his mind, even with Katsuya around.

Instead, he kept his mind on the comfort and well-being of his girlfriend, who had enough on her plate already.

She came back into her room, finding Kyou pulling up his pajama bottoms. She looked away quickly and blushed, covering her eyes were her hands.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry. Are you done now?"

"You know, you can come in whether I'm dressing or not," sighed Kyou. "You already know what I look like naked."

"I-I know . . . I just figured you might want your privacy."

"Like I said before, I don't really care. You can come in and look at me all you want."

Tohru nodded, shifting uncomfortably. Kyou went up to her and took her hands in his.

"And if you don't want to see me, you don't have-ta to do that either," he said, smiling humorously.

"Oh, it's not that I don't want to see you!" Tohru pleaded. "I do want to see you . . . more than anything! I . . ."

Kyou's eyebrows lifted as a slight flush hit his cheeks. He cursed his suddenly raunchy mind.

"No, no, no!" claimed Tohru, shaking her head and blushing. "Not that! I mean, I do, but . . . I, uh . . . Em . . . I mean-! . . ."

"Tohru," interrupted Kyou, "just say what ya mean. What do you want? Don't be ashamed to say it."

" . . . . I . . . I . . ."

"Yeah?"

"I . . ."

Tohru lowered her voice to an embarrassed mumble.

"I . . . . I want to . . . to do that again with you . . . s-soon . . ."

"S-Soon?"

"Yes . . . . . It's hard to explain because . . . it feels . . ."

Kyou thought for a moment and dragged himself closer to Tohru. He put his hands around her slim waist and held her close from behind. She seemed to shiver under his close gaze.

"How . . . do you feel then?" he asked, purely out of curiosity. He kissed her neck tenderly and lay his chin on her shoulder.

"It feels . . ." Tohru began, " . . . it feels so warm. Like fire is flicking on my skin. And . . . my head is a bit dizzy . . . . And . . . . . . and my . . . my . . . um . . . my _area _feels like it . . . like it needs to be rubbed to get rid of the sensation down there . . ."

Kyou gently turned her around to face him, and placed his forehead against hers.

"Do you want to . . ." he sighed, his eyes beginning to close.

"To . . ."

"T-"

Kyou placed his mouth on hers with a sense of urgency and need. He made a steady rhythm that she could keep up with, and eventually made it go faster and deeper.

This was leading to a good place. Because of that pregnancy, he and Tohru never had any time alone together. Now was the perfect night. He knew deep down in his gut. His aroused body parts knew it too.

Aiding each other, Tohru and Kyou began to strip themselves bare. Suddenly, a noise interrupted their episode.

Katsuya was crying.

Kyou sighed and slid his shirt back on. Tohru blushed as she did the same.

"I-I . . . I'll go check on him," Tohru stuttered.

"No, it's okay," Kyou claimed. "I'll go check on him. You wait here."

Tohru nodded. Before leaving, Kyou turned around.

"Could . . . could we continue when I come back?"

Tohru sighed at his shy, hopeful smile. She desperately wanted to take his word on that. She still felt that shimmer of warm desire in her, that she had hidden for many months. But her sense got the better of her.

"Kyou . . ." she began, "I . . . I don't think we should. I'm sorry, I really am! But . . . I-I'm worried about what Shigure and Yuki will say if we break the rules. Also we . . . we almost did it without protection. We need to be more careful."

She was right. They almost went too far. He almost lost his control.

"I . . . I didn't even see that coming," he said, ducking his head and covering his eyes in shame. "I . . . It's just that I was so . . . . ."

"It's not your fault, Kyou," claimed Tohru. "I felt the same way too . . ."

"Guess we should be more careful then . . ."

Tohru nodded sadly. Katsuya's crying grew louder the longer they put off going to him. Kyou took his cue to go check on him.

Flushed with anger, he closed the door and went up to the cradle, scowling.

"Dammit," he whispered harshly. "Why'd you have to screw up everything? If it wasn't for you, she and I would be . . . would be . . ."

Kyou growled and kicked the wall. Katsuya, hearing the agitation in his voice, whimpered fearfully. Squirming uncomfortably, tears fell from his eyes as he cried. Kyou, hearing how scared he sounded, rushed to him. He sighed and picked him up, patting him lightly on the back.

"I'm sorry . . . ." Kyou whispered. "Just . . . just stop crying . . ."

Amazingly, Katsuya held his tongue after a minute and drifted off to sleep. Kyou put him back down into his crib, and put a pacifier in his mouth. He gazed at him sadly.

"Those new parents of yours better come get you soon. I'd hate to mess up your life too . . ."

* * *

**Well, that's the first chapter folks! Sorry it isn't longer! I hoped you all liked it so far. I really can't wait to see where this part of the story goes. Right now, it's kind of a trial and error stage where I don't have a total plan, but it'll work out in the end. Thanks for reading and please leave a review and let me know how it sounds. - Dragondustbubblez**


	2. Reunion

Chapter 2 – Reunion

He had to get out of here. He had to get away somehow. There was just no way he could show his face to anyone. The moment they came through the front door, he bolted out of the house the only way he could.

Up to the rooftops.

Only, he wasn't going to sit there and wait for them to get tired of waiting for him. He was going to jump.

Kyou was at the window when he heard the doorbell chime. Instantly, he knew that Tohru would search for him when she realized that he wasn't downstairs with them. There was no time to write a heart-felt apology. He needed to leave immediately.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he pulled himself onto the roof that hung just above Tohru's balcony. He crawled carefully across the dull colored plates, stopping every now and then to make sure he wasn't spotted.

Kyou wasn't dressed for escaping, so his formal wear shivered and shuddered with his every move. He threw one leg over the top of the roof and slid to the other side of the plating.

_Riiiiiip._

Kyou stopped in his tracks and looked down at his shirt. It had ripped right up to his chest, leaving a big section of skin out in the open.

"Dammit . . ." he cursed with a harsh whisper. He couldn't care about that now though. He was on a mission to save his neck. And he knew exactly where to go.

Kyou braced himself, jumped, and landed heavily on his black, dress shoes, covering them in a fresh coat of mud and grass.

Without looking back, or giving it a second thought, he ran off, heading towards the Sohma house.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"Welcome!" greeted Shigure, smiling pridefully. Tonight, he looked his best with his slicked back hair, and his newest suit. And he thought, why not show off to his little flower's friends and family?

At the door was Uo, in a red knee length dress, Hana, in a black velvet floor-length dress, and Tohru's grandfather, in a traditional suit.

Tohru saw them come in and gave them all a tight embrace.

"It's good to see you all!" Tohru cried happily. "I'm so glad you came to visit. We'll be going to dinner soon."

"Thank you Tohru," said her grandfather, with a tired voice. " . . . And where's the little one?"

"Yuki's holding him in the living room."

The grandfather and the other two headed towards Yuki. He was sitting on the couch, feeding Katsuya a bottle of formula that Tohru had whipped up earlier.

"Would ja look at that," Uo teased. "Yuki's an uncle."

Yuki smiled uncomfortably.

" . . . N-Not exactly," he said. Hana took a closer look at the baby.

"He looks exactly like Kyou . . . but he has Tohru's eyes."

"Yeah, he's pretty cute," Uo added. "Too bad Tohru can't keep him."

"I know . . . I can't think of anyone better to raise a child. And Kyou may be a good father as well."

"I don't know . . . Kyou's got a strong personality. But he's probably just a big softy deep inside."

"Speaking of Kyou, where is he?" Yuki asked. "He should have been around here ages ago."

"Let me hold Katsuya," said the grandfather. "You go look for him."

Yuki nodded and handed the infant to him. He went upstairs to find the whole area to be dark and silent. He could only hear the wind blow through an open window.

Curiously, Yuki went into Tohru's room and saw that the doors to the balcony were wide open. A ripped piece of cloth lay on the floor. He picked it up and clenched it in a fist.

"Yuki! Where are you?" Shigure called. "Kyou? Come on you two, we gotta go!"

Yuki hurried back down the stairs.

"Kyou's not here," Yuki whispered, so that Tohru wouldn't be able to hear.

Shigure went silent for a moment, but then shook it off.

"Not here? T-Then where is he?"

" . . . I think he ran off. To where, I don't know. All I know is that he left this."

Yuki showed Shigure the ripped off part of Kyou's shirt.

"The balcony door was open," Yuki continued. "I think he made a jump for it."

"Hmm . . ."

"That bastard . . . Why now, of all times? Doesn't he know how much this could upset Ms. Honda?"

" . . . Did you check everywhere upstairs? Like the bathroom and such?"

"I checked every room. He's no where to be found."

" . . . . I'll call Shioshou in a couple minutes. If Kyou's not here, he's probably over there."

"Stupid cat . . ."

"He's probably just scared. When we find him, I'll talk to him."

Yuki constricted his jaw in frustration and nodded.

" . . . I supposed I should tell Ms. Honda about him being gone," he said.

Shigure nodded, picking up the phone.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Kyou stopped and leaned over to catch his breath. He was here at last, for what seemed like an hour's run. It had only been about seven minutes.

He went inside the Sohma's outer walls and headed for a familiar house. The lights were on inside and a foul smell was seeping from the kitchen's open windows. Holding his breath, Kyou went up to the front door and knocked.

Shioshou answered the door with a friendly, but embarrassed smile.

"Kyou, what a pleasant surprise," he said contently. "And you're all dressed up, I see. What's the occasion?"

Kyou allowed himself in and took off his mud covered shoes. He sighed and answered.

"Everyone's going out to dinner. To 'lighten' the atmosphere . . . At least that's what Shigure said."

" . . . Why aren't you with them? Don't tell me . . . you don't have an extra shirt."

Kyou looked down at his ripped collar shirt and took it off. He held it in a tight fist and looked to the floor.

"No . . . that's not the reason," he answered in an annoyed voice. Shioshou took the ripped shirt and examined it.

"Come with me," he said. "I'll fix it in a heartbeat while you tell me what's up. Oh, and sorry about the smell."

"You tryin' ta cook again?" Kyou asked.

" . . . Heh heh . . I was . . . yet again unsuccessful."

Kyou sat in the living room while Shioshou began to mend the ripped shirt with a needle, thread, and long sheet of similar material.

"Huh . . . I didn't know you could knit," Kyou said.

"Just an unknown talent of mine," smiled Shioshou. "It helps to keep all the dojo uniforms in check, especially since some of the new students are a bit rowdy."

"Oh . . ."

" . . . . So . . . Shigure called earlier and asked about you."

Kyou pulled up a blank look as the thoughts ran through his head. As he sat on the floor, guilt caused him to pull his knees close to his chest and rest his forehead on the tips of them. He waited a minute before answering.

"I . . . I ran away," he said, finally. "I ran away from Tohru . . . I'm such an idiot. W-Why'd hell did I leave? I'm just stupid . . . right?"

Shioshou sighed.

"No . . . No, you're not. You sound pretty scared, actually."

"Like hell I'm scared . . . I'm terrified."

"How long do you plan on hiding?"

Kyou didn't answer. Shioshou continued on and knitted Kyou's shirt some more.

"A baby is often the cause of publicity, even if you don't want to be seen. It can cause you grief, and make you unpopular, depending on the situation."

Kyou sighed and wiped the sweat off his brow in anguish. Shioshou continued on again.

"But a baby is also a joy. If you can overlook the difficulties, it can be a rewarding experience."

"But I HATE kids," Kyou interrupted. "They're annoying, they smell, and they make way too much noise . . . I-I just don't have the patience for them."

"True, they can be all those things," nodded Shioshou, "but when the child belongs to you, things . . . things tend to change."

"Not for me, they won't."

"You never know . . . Funny thing is, I said the same thing when I adopted you. I told myself that nothing would change, but low and behold, the curse breaks several years later, and I get to see you smile so genuinely because of the love you've found."

" . . . Still . . . Katsuya and I . . . we could be so different . . . We . . . We might not even get along."

"It may not be as different as you think. Both of you were born at inopportune times. But that didn't stop you from growing. That won't stop baby Katsuya either."

Kyou shook his head.

" . . . I just hope his adoptive parents come soon. I don't know how much more of this goo-goo gaa-gaa nonsense I can take . . . I know I can't raise him either . . . I'm just . . . not made to be a father . . . I just can't do it . . ."

" . . . I won't lie to you," he added. "Raising a child is not easy."

Kyou nodded, his eyes on the verge of tears. He sniffed and wiped them away as subtly as possible.

"But having Katsuya was not a bad thing," Shioshou added. "Kyou, you and Tohru formed this baby out of love, and I believe that if he has to stay with the both of you, you will care for this baby out of love as well. And even if you don't seem like a father, remember . . . fathers come in many different forms. Not one father is alike."

"I don't know if I can handle it . . . I might . . . yell at him or . . . get angry with Tohru . . . I don't wanna be one of those fathers that fights with everyone."

"You'll be fine. As long as you and Tohru work together, you can set your minds to conquer anything. I know you can. You both got this far . . ."

Shioshou flexed out the shirt he mended and handed it to Kyou, who began to put it back on.

" . . . I guess I should head back now," Kyou said softly.

"I suppose you should, but if you want to stay here, I won't hold it against you. You're old enough to make your own decisions."

Kyou stood still and thought about it. He shook his head and slid on his coat.

" . . . I'll go back," he said. " . . . But I still don't think this will work. It's hopeless . . ."

Shioshou turned away and sighed.

" . . . Only if you believe it to be . . ."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"Well, look who decided to show up," Uo said, crossing her arms while blocking the entry way into the house. Kyou grimaced and tried to go through, but Uo kept blocking.

" . . . Let me through," Kyou said through gritted teeth.

"Not till you say the magic words, carrot head," she answered.

" . . . . Sorry . . ."

"What was that?"

" . . . . I'm sorry."

"I can't hear you."

"I'm sorry! Geez . . ."

"That's better. Come on in, tardy boy."

Kyou took the walk of shame into the house. For the first time in his life, he felt like hiding from Yuki's disapproving scowl.

"Where were you?" Yuki asked, his arms crossed tightly. "Everyone's been waiting for an hour now while you were out on your little run."

Kyou refused to answer and looked at the ground.

" . . . Look, I know you're nervous about making a first impression, but think about what you're doing next time."

Kyou nodded and watched Yuki walk away. Hana came behind him and sighed, making him jump where he stood.

"It got fairly cold in here . . ." she cooed.

"_Yeah, no thanks to you," _Kyou thought. He turned to face her.

"If you wanna shock me, then just do it."

Hana chuckled.

"I think you've learned you lesson already. But I will shock you if you don't apologize to Tohru."

Tohru! He had almost forgotten.

He rushed to the living room and searched every corner for her.

"Kyou?" said a light voice behind him. He turned around and felt his heart sink.

"Tohru I . . . I'm so sorry . . . I didn't mean ta . . . I . . . you see I went to Shioshou's and . . ."

"Are you okay?" Tohru asked with soft smile of concern.

Kyou sighed and relaxed a little.

"Yeah . . . B-But aren't you upset?"

" . . . A little bit . . . but I then I remembered something. My mom did the same thing when my dad died. Then I realized, you must be as scared as she was."

"I . . . I don't mean to be . . ." Kyou mumbled.

"It's okay," Tohru said, putting her hands on his warm cheeks. "There's nothing to worry about. The place we reserved at understands our situation, so we can still eat there. And no one's too upset about you being late."

Kyou seriously doubted that. True, Uo and Hana just teased him about it and Tohru's grandfather didn't really do anything, but Yuki kept throwing him hostile looks. Not the usual ones either.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

They arrived at the restaurant. It was pretty fancy, but family orientated as well. The food was known to be quite delicious too.

Everyone entered, took their seats, and ordered dinner. Katsuya was in his carrier next to Tohru, drinking from his bottle happily, noisily sucking down the milk.

"Ahh, isn't this nice?" Shigure asked. "We're all here together as one big, happy family! Let's try to enjoy the evening and put other matters behind us, shall we?"

Everyone nodded and made a toast with their drinks. Kyou kept looking over at Katsuya, who was stationed between him and Tohru. He found he couldn't keep his eyes off of him, as if he were expecting something to happen.

Uo watched him and laughed.

"Chill, carrot head. He's not gonna bite."

Kyou scowled at her, and shrugged it off. Katsuya hiccuped and let go of his now empty bottle, dropping it into Kyou's lap. Kyou jumped up slightly in surprise and sighed. Some of the milk that was left over on the bottom of the bottle had leaked onto his pants in small blotches. He took a napkin and wiped it off vigorously and put the bottle on the table.

"Uh oh," Tohru said, looking over. " . . . Do you need some of my water to wash that off?"

"Nah, it's cool," Kyou sighed. Tohru smiled and went on with her conversation with Hana.

Katsuya hiccuped again and started to get uncomfortable. Kyou noticed and sat there pondering on what to do. Should he pick him up? . . . No, no . . . he shouldn't. No telling what could happen.

"Ah! Katsuya!" Tohru cried. "A-Are you okay?"

Yuki looked over instantly.

"What's wrong, Ms. Honda?"

"He's . . . He's acting really funny."

Tohru's grandfather looked over and smiled softly.

"He's okay Tohru. He just needs to be burped."

"Burped?" Tohru asked.

"Pick him up, and light pat him on the back. That should help get rid of the gas in his stomach."

Tohru picked up Katsuya and lay him against her shoulder. She patted him lightly, but found that it was no help.

"Ohhh . . ." she said, "it's not working. What do I do?"

"Hand him to Kyou," Uo said.

Tohru quickly handed Katsuya to Kyou. He took him his arms and held him against his shoulder like Tohru had done.

"Kyou, you're holding him wrong," Yuki commented with a hint of worry in his voice. Kyou corrected himself and tried to pat and rub Katsuya's back. When it wasn't working, Kyou patted him a bit harder.

Katsuya gave a small belch and calmed down for a moment. Tohru gave out a sigh of relief.

"Good job, Kyou!" she said, happily.

Kyou blushed and tried to hand the baby back to Tohru. But he stopped to see that Katsuya wasn't quite finished. His face got a little puffy, and he made a strange noise. Before Kyou could figure it out, Katsuya opened his mouth and spit out a mouthful of regurgitated milk onto his chest and Kyou's. It smelled awful.

"Aww . . . he spit up!" Uo said, laughing. "How cute. You're the first victim, Kyon-Kyon."

Kyou still held him at a good distance away from him, forgetting to put him down. Not knowing what to do, he just sat there with his mouth gaping open. Katsuya just stared at him with content. Sensing his embarrassment, Tohru took baby from him and wiped his mouth with her napkin.

Everyone was still laughing at Kyou's blank expression as he got up. He ignored their hoots of amusement and scooted past them to head for the nearest bathroom.

"Kyou! Where are you going?" Uo asked, barely able to breathe from laughing so hard. "Kyou!"

"There he goes again," sighed Yuki.

"That dude's gotta lighten up. Katsuya's just a baby. It's not his fault he had to throw up."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"_I shouldn't have come back."_

Kyou scrubbed his shirt with a couple paper towels. No matter how much he rubbed it, the stain wouldn't come out. He cursed softly and tossed the towels into the trash bin.

" . . . . At least the smell is gone," he said to himself. He had gotten to the stain early enough to make the sour milk smell go away.

He stood there for a second and looked in the mirror. He wouldn't go back out just yet. Though his stomach growled from the smell of food nearby, he wouldn't venture out of the facility until he had collected himself. Oddly enough, he wasn't really angry. Katsuya was only doing what he had to. Still . . . they didn't have to laugh at him like that.

_"Doesn't matter"_ he thought. _"They're just . . . stupid."_

He turned the sink back on and splashed some water on his face, in hopes to snap himself out of this self pity state. He had to go back out there anyway. There was no way he'd let them see him in a vulnerable state. Not even Tohru.

Thankfully, when he did come back, they were too into their conversations to take notice of his triumphant return. He scooted past again, and sat down in his spot. The food was already here, and everyone had started eating. Everyone except Tohru.

" . . . You're not gonna eat?" he asked her.

"I wanted to wait for you to come back first," Tohru said. The corners of Kyou's mouth lifted a little.

" . . . Well, I'm back now . . . Eat."

* * *

**Well, that's chapter 2! I hoped you all liked it! Looks like Kyou's taking things with a bit more sensitivity than usual. Wonder what I'll have him do next... Anyway, thanks for reading! Please stay tuned. You are all being very patient. :) - dragondustbubblez**


	3. Delphic Void

Chapter 3 – Delphic Void

_~2 weeks later~_

Kyou sat there on the couch, his knee bouncing up and down quickly. He bit at his fingernail while Tohru watched him with concern.

Shigure hung up the phone and sighed.

"Nope . . . nothing," he said softly, so that he wouldn't wake the baby sleeping in Tohru's arms.

"Not even an answering machine?" Kyou asked.

"There's an answering machine, but I've already left several messages. I've checked ours but nobody's called back yet."

"Damn . . ."

Shigure sat down next to them and ran a hand through his hair.

" . . . You'd think they would've called back by now. It's been a while since Katsuya was born. It won't be long before he becomes attached to you two."

"You don't think they . . . forgot, did they?" Tohru asked. "About Katsuya?"

"I can't imagine so . . ." Shigure answered. "Hatori mentioned that they were ecstatic about adopting him. With all the preparations we've seen at their house, there's no way they'd back out now."

" . . . Maybe they're out of town," Kyou assumed. "You know . . . maybe something came up and they had to leave."

"And forget to pick up the baby? I doubt it."

Tohru looked sadly at the baby and moved the blanket wrapped around him, bringing it farther from his chest to keep him from getting too hot.

" . . . There's gotta be something we can do," Kyou protested. " . . . Let's go down to the house ourselves. Then they'll have to respond to us."

"I suppose we must," said Shigure. "That would get their attention."

"Are we going now?" Tohru asked, watching them get up.

"Might as well, while it's still early in the evening."

Tohru nodded and got up as well. She stood still for a moment, not feeling too sure about this plan. Reluctantly, she refused to move. Kyou looked back at her.

" . . . You okay?" he asked, curiously.

"I uh . . ." she began, " . . . I think I need to change Katsuya's diaper . . . I'll be there in a minute."

Both Shigure and Kyou nodded and headed outside. Shigure went on his phone and gave Hatori a call to tell him to bring his car around.

Tohru went into the bathroom and closed the door. With her back to the door, she held her breath.

"Three weeks . . ." she whispered.

She had been keeping track of the days since she brought the baby home. She wanted to keep away all feelings. Every single one. But she knew deep down that it would kill her when he'd leave. There was just . . . something desperate about her dealing with Katsuya's departure.

Tohru couldn't understand it. It hadn't even been a month, and already, she was as attached to this baby as much as she was attached to Kyou.

She looked at Katsuya's sleeping face. His skin was so soft and it smelled so sweet. Like lilies, she thought . . . His eyes, his little hands . . . the way he looked at her with the smallest traces of devotion. She saw everything in him. His unusually calm nature, and his warmth. And the way he looked at Kyou made her heart melt. She sensed something in him that was special. She just . . . didn't know what it was.

"_And he's ours . . ._" she thought, smiling. "_He's our baby._"

She and Kyou had made this infant out of the pure desire of being together. Was there anything wrong with that? Sure, it was a bit untimely, but . . .

Tohru heard Hatori's car pull up at the front of the house.

All the happy feelings she gathered up were gone. No matter what, she knew she had to ignore the feeling in her gut that what they were doing was wrong. Katsuya needed financially secure and responsible adult parents. People who were ready for the responsibilities of caring for a child. It wasn't abandonment . . . . . . It wasn't.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Kyou watched everything outside the window go by quickly, and it brought him to think about all that had happened thus far.

He and Tohru were in love . . . and out of love, a baby was made. Not intentionally, but he was there now, in Tohru's arms. Oh how he wished he could be happy about it now. If only he could feel as Tohru did. But something held him back from feeling such a joy. He didn't know what it was.

" . . . Kyou," Tohru said, speaking above the radio. " . . . Do you want to hold Katsuya?"

Kyou moved away from the window and looked at her. She looked . . . tired and a bit weary.

"Sure," he said softly, holding his arms out to welcome the infant. Katsuya cooed a little and squirmed around before getting comfortable.

Kyou knew that Tohru didn't want him to go. For her sake, he didn't want him to go either. But there hadn't been a connection between him and Katsuya. Not since he was in the delivery room. It saddened him, and it made him feel uneasy.

Shioshou had said to him that having a child would change you. It would change how you felt about children, and how you felt about the miracle of life altogether.

Then why? Why couldn't he feel any of this? He still felt the same.

Katsuya was but a stranger to him.

They pulled up to the drive-way and parked near the house. Hatori and Shigure took off their seat belts.

"Coming?" asked Hatori.

"I'll stay here," said Kyou. Tohru said the same. When both adults were welcomed into the house, Kyou sighed.

"So they are home . . . I would have been nice for them to answer their phone. That was rude."

Tohru chuckled a bit.

"Maybe they didn't hear it."

" . . . Guess not."

Kyou looked down at Katsuya, and the baby looked back at him blankly. Tohru broke the silence.

" . . . Do you want Katsuya to go away?"

Kyou looked at her sadly, feeling that his thoughts had reached her somehow.

" . . . No, 'course not," he lied. " . . . . W-Why?"

" . . . It's just . . . it seems like . . . you don't like him very much."

Kyou looked away and sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was come across as heartless to Tohru.

"You don't play with him," Tohru continued. "Or . . . or hold him that much."

Kyou remained silent and looked away. He had to come up with an excuse. It's not that he didn't like Katsuya. He just didn't know what to do with him. He was just a baby after all.

" . . . I . . . I don't want to become attached to him," he answered. "You know . . . since he has to go away."

Tohru looked away and sighed.

" . . . I feel the same way. I'm afraid I've become attached to him already . . . I'm glad you understand though. You must have been feeling the same way all along."

Kyou smiled at her slightly and went back to looking out his window. He gritted his teeth, cursing himself for lying to her. But what was worse? Lying to her, or telling her that he wanted Katsuya to go?

"I know that when Katsuya goes . . . if he goes . . . that we'll be very sad," Tohru added. "But . . . we still have each other. And that's enough for me."

_"No it isn't . . ."_ Kyou thought to himself. Tohru continued.

"Because I love you . . . and . . . we can get through anything."

Kyou gazed at her and felt his heart flutter. Carefully, he leaned over, closed his eyes, and kissed her lips. He kept himself there, feeling as if he were home again. Katsuya wiggled in his arms as he began to lose balance.

"Ah," Kyou gasped. He picked up the baby and positioned him correct on his lap. Tohru giggled a little.

"Isn't it amazing?" Tohru asked, looking at her baby.

_"Yeah . . . the whole . . . miracle of life thingy," _thought Kyou. _"Spare me the details . . ."_

" . . He's only a few weeks old, and he's so calm and quiet. He hardly cries at all."

"Oh . . ." Kyou said. "Yeah . . . he's . . . he's pretty silent."

"And he looks just like you," Tohru said, smiling sweetly. " . . . I was hoping he would."

"Really?"

Tohru nodded and adjusted Katsuya's blanket.

Hatori and Shigure came out and got back into the car silently.

"Well?" asked Kyou.

" . . . They're moving," said Shigure. " . . . And they decided that having a baby right now isn't the best thing for them."

"What the hell? I thought they really wanted him!"

"We tried to talk them out of it," Hatori added, " but it was no use. They seemed to be in a big hurry. Most of the house had been pulled down, including the baby's room."

"T-They can't do this!"

" . . . I'd hate to say this but . . . I think it would be best for Katsuya to not live with them. I think their frantic moving has to do with them being in some sort of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Tohru asked.

"We didn't ask," said Shigure. "They dismissed us before we could do anything . . ."

Kyou whispered a curse. Shigure looked away sadly.

"I'm sorry . . . we . . . we did everything we could."

" . . . Isn't there anybody else?" Kyou asked.

" . . . Nobody else we've called was suitable enough for Katsuya," Hatori said. "We've tried everybody in a reachable distance."

"So we have to keep him," Kyou said, looking out the window again.

"Yes, I'm afraid so . . ."

"But don't worry," Shigure said. "The Sohma family can help with expenses."

"Oh no, I couldn't ask for that," Tohru protested. "You've all done so much already . . ."

"You will need the extra expenses," Hatori said. "I suggest you take the offer Ms. Honda. He IS in all of our care now. Yours and the Sohmas."

Tohru smiled.

"Thank you . . . very much. I'll appreciate always!"

"Things will be alright," Shigure chimed. "I've always liked children. It'll be interesting to have a child in the house again. Ahh . . . I can imagine the pitter-patter of little feet already! And Aya will be most pleased!"

"Try not to bring Ayame into this," Hatori said. "He'll ruin Katsuya."

"Oh come now, Aya's not THAT bad."

Tohru positively beamed.

"I was scared at first but . . . honestly . . . I'm so glad!"

Kyou looked over at her and listened. Tohru went on.

"The minute Katsuya was born . . . I-I wanted to be there for him. I wanted to raise him with Kyou and see what he would grow up to be like."

She looked at Kyou and sighed.

"I . . . I know the timing was a bit too soon but . . . I think we'll be okay! I know it!"

"Mother's intuition," Shigure said. "Interesting thing, eh Hari?"

Hatori hummed in agreement.

In all the sudden excitement, Kyou could only look out the window again.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"You're keeping Katsuya?" Yuki asked.

"Mm-hm!" Tohru said excitedly.

"You must be very happy. And I'm happy for you."

Tohru grinned from ear to ear, her face flushed with glee as she held Katsuya closely.

"You'll be a wonderful mother, Ms. Honda," Yuki went on. "Katsuya is very lucky."

"Oh, I don't know about a wonderful mother but I'll do my best!"

"Ha-ha, you'll be fine . . . I guess this means the baby's room gets to be decorated at last, huh?"

"Yup! I can't wait!"

"And is Kyou going to help you pick the designs?"

"I don't know . . . I didn't ask him yet. But I hope he does."

". . . Where is he anyway?"

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

The house had created such an uproar, and like the skittish cat he was, he retreated to his high, lonely place to find some peace.

He looked to the night sky and felt something heavy in his chest. Clenching his teeth, he refused to get emotional.

It wasn't fair . . . How could everyone be so happy and giddy about it when he still felt lost in this sea of mixed feelings? He knew it wasn't right for him to be sitting up here when he should be inside cradling his son. But something always held him back. Frustrating as it was, he couldn't quite figure out what the hell it was.

He wasn't jealous; being a kid again was the last thing he wanted. And he knew that Tohru would never replace him. He didn't feel any malcontent for the baby. He just couldn't feel . . . anything really.

He wasn't the type to "oo" and "ah" over a baby. It wasn't in his nature. And he didn't really like kids to begin with. Kyou knew well that most people who knew that about him found it to be a cruel fact of nature that he couldn't accept a child into his life. But how could they blame him? After what he had been through in the past, it was no wonder he hated being a kid. Nothing but bad memories.

_"But it's all in the past now_," he thought to himself. _"So why . . ."_

Kyou turned to his side, his head resting on his hand.

He didn't know shit about babies. Except for maybe the basics that everyone knew. They needed to eat, sleep, cry, and relieve themselves, just like everyone else. Other than that, what more was there to know? How could everyone, even the boys, act so well around this kid? How could he know so little about dealing with this kind of thing. He felt something the day Katsuya was born, no doubt. But how could that feeling go away in such a short time?

Life had surely dealt him a bad hand this year. Why did it have to be this way? And just when things were going so good between him and Tohru . . .

All the things he looked forward to were . . . gone. Out of sight. Having a kid meant that nothing was to happen for them anymore . . .

_" . . . And it's all my fault . . ."_

Kyou went into a fetal position closed his eyes, letting himself be vulnerable just this once.

If only the world could stay still for a moment . . . If only he could read Tohru's mind and find out what was so great about having a baby . . . If only he could feel the way they did . . . If only.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

She found him on the roof, like she usually did. Climbing up there, Tohru sat next to his still, sleeping body.

_"If he continues to sleep up here like this, he'll get a back ache,"_ she thought.

Gently, she rubbed his shoulder. Kyou stirred and looked up, his eyes red.

"Tohru," he said, softly. " . . . I uh . . ."

"Shh . . ." said Tohru, her hand on his shoulder. "You should get off the roof. I'd hate for you to hurt yourself by sleeping here."

Kyou nodded quietly and sat up slowly, feeling his side ache in the places the roof slides have pinched him. Tohru let him go down first and then she followed suit.

Something was wrong. Kyou usually went to the roof to avoid something or to find some peace of mind. And his expression looked worried half the time. When he smiled, it looked forced.

" . . . Kyou?" she asked, while she walked him into the dark house. " . . . Is everything alright?"

Kyou looked at her, his expression puzzled. Tohru looked at him with worry.

"Yeah . . . I'm good. Just exhausted from today . . . How about you check on Katsuya while I get ready for bed?"

" . . . Katsuya's already asleep . . . I'm . . . more worried about you, Kyou. You seem really upset. I . . . just want to make sure you're feeling alright."

Kyou ignored her question and smiled.

"Are you happy now that we get to keep Katsuya?"

"Yes, I'm very happy but . . ."

"Then that's all that matters."

Kyou kissed her forehead, and went to the stairs. Tohru stood there and exhaled a long breath.

_"This isn't like him . . ."_ she thought. Quickly, she followed after him.

She came into her room to find him putting oh his pajamas. He crawled into bed and instantly fell asleep without another word.

Tohru sighed and climbed in after him. Giving him one last look, she drifted off into slumber herself.

* * *

**Man, I hope Kyou feels better soon. A baby can be such a joy! But I guess it'll take him some time to get used to it . . . **

**Anyway, thanks for reading thus far. Hope it's coming out okay so far. Keep in mind, I'm still learning with writing and what not. So if there are any mistakes, I apologize. **

-** Dragondustbubblez**


	4. Day One

Chapter 4 – Day One

And so the morning began. And so did his new life . . . Life as a father . . . Life would never be the same after today.

Katsuya's cries were extremely monotonous, like a cheap alarm clock that one buys at a thrift store. Kyou pretended to not notice the cries and kept his eyes shut tight. He waited for a sign of movement from Tohru's side of the bed. As he had hoped, Tohru sat up and stretched. Kyou gave a small sigh of relief and snuggled into his pillow.

Tohru looked at Kyou and touched his shoulder.

"Kyou," she called lightly. "Kyou, let's go see Katsuya."

His brow furrowed. Must he go see the baby this early in the morning? Couldn't he see him in the next few hours? He barely got any sleep after all. Still, he vowed to himself that'd he do what he could to hide the fact he didn't want to see his own son.

"Mmmhm . . ." he moaned. Kyou sat up and greeted Tohru with a good morning. Both of them walked over to the room next door.

Katsuya was squirming in his crib, demanding attention. Tohru took him up in her arms.

"Shh . . ." she said softly. "It's okay . . . Are you hungry? Hmm?"

Kyou gave a crooked and awkward smile toward the scene, as if he were watching a couple of strangers. He shifted his foot and rubbed the ground while Tohru tended to the crying infant. When she stopped calming him, he looked up to see what was going on.

Tohru gave a nervous laugh and turned to Kyou.

"I think he needs a new diaper," she said with a small chuckle. Kyou scratched his head and looked away.

"Kay . . ." he said. "Then uh . . . change him, I guess."

"O-Oh . . ." Tohru stuttered. "Alright . . . I-I was hoping that maybe . . . you could-"

Tohru stopped to see that Kyou had left the room before she even began the sentence.

" . . . Oh well . . . I guess it's up to me!"

Smiling, she took Katsuya to the bathroom and lay him on the counter to change him.

Kyou quietly went downstairs and checked the clock.

5:00 am

"Dammit," he cursed. " . . . Well, could have been worse."

Katsuya had slept through the whole night, which would have been convenient if Kyou could sleep at all. His head was just too full of questions that couldn't be answered.

He found his way around to the fridge and took out the carton of milk. As usual, he took a swig and placed it back in its spot. Before closing the door, he spotted a tin container with a picture of a teddy bear.

Baby formula for Katsuya.

Kyou picked up the container and studied it a bit. The back talked about the supplements inside and how it was helpful to an infant. He opened the lid and took a sniff.

The powder was very light, and some of it found its way up his nose from the slight sniff. Kyou threw his head back in surprise and coughed roughly. Immediately upon recovery, he put the lid back.

Huh . . . babies . . . . . . To him, they were one of life's mysteries. And to think, he didn't even think twice about them 10 months ago. Now they were all he thought about. It sent him into a whirlwind of worry. When was he going to have to hold Katsuya? What if Katsuya puked on his favorite shirt? Would the stains come out? What if he accidentally dropped Katsuya? What if he got mad at him by mistake? What if he fainted while changing a diaper or did something else like that? What if Tohru found out he felt nothing at all for this kid?

Kyou stared at the floor, ignoring the sound of footsteps that came from above him. He probably didn't blink for a good two minutes, on account of how numb he felt.

Tohru came in, holding Katsuya in one arm and a smelly diaper in the other hand.

"Katsuya seems a little constipated," she said with concern. "His belly might be upset."

The infant's face was pink and constricted into a tight frown. He was whimpering. Kyou almost felt sorry for the little tyke. It looked so uncomfortable.

"My mom taught me that rubbing a baby's stomach can help with constipation and irritable bowls. Do you think we should do that?"

Kyou was lost for words. Tohru had asked for his opinion on how to deal with a baby's constipation. There was no way he could answer that honestly. But common sense told him that she was right.

"Yeah," he said, smiling a little. "He might feel better after that."

"Then let's make him feel better," Tohru said cheerfully. She took Kyou by the hand unexpectedly, making him blush like he used to. They both sat on the couch, and Katsuya lay on his back. He didn't look as unhappy now, but he was still stiff in the face.

"I . . . I think you do it like this," Tohru said. She took one hand and gently made circular movements on Katsuya's stomach and waist. Almost as if he were hypnotized, Katsuya closed his eyes and lay limp with comfort. Kyou felt a grin creep up on him. Tohru noticed this right away.

"Want to try?" she asked, looking him in the eyes.

Now that wasn't fair. Didn't she know that he couldn't say no when she looked at him like that? All eager and genuine . . .

"S-Sure . . ." Kyou said. He raised a hand over Katsuya and placed it on his belly. It was pudgy and warm, like the top of a fresh muffin. His little one piece pajamas were soft and sensitive to the touch.

"You just move like this," Tohru said. She took his wrist and moved his whole hand in a slow motion. Kyou couldn't keep his eyes off what he was doing. It was . . . new. Something he had never experienced before. And the baby seemed to like it a lot.

It didn't take long to figure out why.

Seconds later, Katsuya scrunched up his face, bent his knees, and made an abrupt noise. With a surprised and somewhat embarrassed expression, Kyou took his hand off Katsuya.

" . . . Did I make him do that?" he asked, his face growing a little warm. Tohru suppressed a giggle to spare him the embarrassment that would follow, and smiled.

"It's okay," she said. "I think that was supposed to happen."

She picked him up and sat him on her lap.

"He was just a little gassy."

Tohru looked at Kyou and chuckled. When he didn't genuinely return the humor, she cocked her head to the side.

"Does it bother you?"

"Hmm?" Kyou asked. "Oh, no it doesn't. I guess I . . . I don't know. I'm just like that."

"Are you embarrassed about it?"

Kyou shrugged, refusing to answer. Why was she insisting on talking about it?

Tohru looked at the baby and then at him. She sighed with understanding and smiled.

"It's okay, Kyou. I understand. But you don't have to feel that way around me and Katsuya. It's very normal for us to do things like that. I'm just glad Katsuya got it out of his system. It's not good for babies to hold it in."

"It's not good for anyone to hold it in," Kyou added, his voice nonchalant. Tohru nodded in agreement.

"Is this why you haven't changed his diaper yet?" she asked, laughing.

Kyou really blushed this time, and lowered his face in shame.

"I've never really liked dealing with that kind of stuff," he said with a bit of nervous laughter. "I have a strong stomach, but . . . . . you know. I mean, I don't think I've even passed gas in front of _you_ yet."

Tohru continued to laugh, failing to keep from doing so. She just couldn't imagine her tough Kyou getting sensitive over the topic of bodily functions. But that was just how he was, and that was alright.

"Haha, aww it's okay," Tohru said sweetly. "Not everyone is comfortable with it."

She patted Katsuya on the belly. He had his fingers settled comfortably in his mouth.

"Changing a diaper isn't so bad, once you get used to it," Tohru said. "I can show you later, if you want."

Still blushing, Kyou shook his head and smiled.

"Nah, it's okay, I can handle it on my own."

Tohru didn't seem convinced.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "You seem . . . well . . . kind of disgusted. I'm not saying it's wrong if you are but, we can talk about it-"

"No, it's fine . . . really," Kyou interrupted. To be honest, it was the last thing he wanted to talk about. It was just part of his anxiety about babies. He of all people knew it shouldn't have been a big deal.

_"No, you know you want to talk about it,"_ he thought to himself. _"For some reason, it's bothering you . . . . What the HELL is wrong with me?"_

"Okay," Tohru concluded. She got up and carried Katsuya with her. Before going upstairs, she turned around.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah," Kyou answered. With clumsy feet, he stumbled off the couch, repositioned himself and followed behind her with his hands in the pockets of his pajama bottoms. He still refused to look her in the eye.

He still wasn't acting like his usual self. It was almost as if he had changed somehow. Instead of being confident and on-edge, he seemed sort of vulnerable and awkward. But this was only when they were alone. If anybody else was around, he was back to his old self again. Tohru didn't hate the "new" Kyou though. It actually seemed kind of sweet; as if they had traded personalities for a moment. It made her feel a bit more dominant and sure of herself. Still, she couldn't get used to the sight of him looking so lost and so unsure of everything. It pained her to look back on the night she found him on the roof, with his red eyes and his aching back. What had caused him to hide out in the middle of the night in such an uncomfortable position?

Tohru put Katsuya in his crib and turned out the light. Both she and Kyou headed to her room to get a little more sleep before they'd have to get up again.

Kyou fluffed up on of the pillows and lay on it, and tried to let his mind wander. Unfortunately, it was still on the topic from downstairs. He almost physically shook his head to get rid of it. Whoever said a busy head was a good thing?

Tohru lay next to him, but came very close. As if she had answered his prayers, all his thoughts came to a halt as he felt her breasts push against his back. She put her arm around his torso and intertwined her legs with his. Scooting upward, she came to his neck and planted a kiss. Kyou took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to savor it. He turned around and pulled her to him. Both of them were smiling contently, happy to have each others company, and happy to be alone at last. Kyou was almost reluctant due to the belief that every opportunity would be crashed by the baby's crying.

But he was giving them a grace period. No crying, no noise of any sort . . . It was quite lovely. Kyou placed his mouth on Tohru's and worked his hungry tongue inward. He hadn't felt this urgent since the first time he even thought of having intercourse with her.

But he knew they didn't have any condoms on them at the moment. And she wasn't on birth control. To keep Tohru from getting disappointed, he kept his mid section away from hers, so that she wouldn't feel his endowment. After their long kiss, Tohru kept her head on his chest and fell asleep. Kyou sighed happily, and was finally able to close his eyes and empty his brain.

The moment only seemed to last for five minutes. They had slept about an hour longer, but it didn't feel that long. Immediately, Katsuya began to cry again, and the day truly began. Shigure was singing a good morning song at the top of his lungs, and Yuki was scolding him for waking him on a Saturday.

Since when did sleep go so fast?

Once glance at Tohru told him she was thinking the same exact thing.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"Oh my gosh, that is soooooo cute! Katsuya would look great in that!"

"Tohru, I think you should get it."

"You really think so? It does look as if it'll be very nice on him."

"Totally."

Uo and Hana were all over Tohru and Katsuya. For at least an hour now, they had been trailing through the baby section. Kyou was following close behind, trying to avoid the cackle of girls. Katsuya seemed to be enjoying all the attention. His eyes kept switching back and forth between them, while keeping a wide and interested look about them. It was almost comical to see him watching them so intently.

The trip to the store was to strictly buy food, but a detour was inevitable. During the whole time, Kyou hadn't said a word. He just kept a close eye on Katsuya, trying to study his habits and his expressions. It turned out to be a lot less interesting than he hoped it to be.

"Anything else you need, Tohru?" Hana asked.

"Well . . . Katsuya does need more diapers," she answered. "Let's go get some."

"Can we look at the clothes some more though?" asked Uo. "There are some more over here. And they're on sale!"

"But the diapers . . ."

"Let Kyou go get them. He hasn't done anything since we got here."

"Oh, Kyou doesn't have to-"

"Uo's right," interrupted Hana. "Kyou has to do his part too."

The look on Hana's face sent a shiver down Kyou's spine. Whenever she did that, it seemed as if she knew everything that he was thinking. Out of guilt, he quickly left to find the shelves that held the much needed merchandise.

Uo watched him leave with an uncertain look.

"What's with carrot top? He's been so jumpy lately."

"I don't know," Tohru answered. "For the past few days, he hasn't said much. I'd . . . I'd hate to say this but . . . he . . . he hasn't done much with Katsuya either."

"He's not helping you? What gives?"

"I thought I felt strange energy waves coming from him," Hana commented. "He seems . . . hesitant."

"Well, hesitant or not, that's no excuse to not play the role he's supposed to. He's got a kid now, and that takes responsibility."

Tohru sighed, and then decided to change the subject.

"Um Uo? W-Where were those baby clothes you were talking about?"

"Oh! The ones with the . . . Aha, just come see for yourself."

Kyou was slowly walking along, and heard the laughter of the girls. They were commenting on a shirt that had a supposedly cute quote on it. Ignoring their conversation, he continued to to find the diapers.

It amazed him to find out how many brands of diapers there were in one place. It was a little overwhelming. Which brand was the best one?

Then again, a better question was, what was the brand that Shigure had bought before? After trying to recall the type, he gave up and decided to just pick the best sounding brand of diapers. On the way back, he began to look around and notice the other shoppers in his area.

Most of them were small families. Moms, dads, and kids all together, shopping for common materials. Some of the dads were playing with their babies and holding them. They were laughing with their spouses, and so lightheartedly too.

Kyou didn't know how long he had been standing there, watching them. It wasn't until he lost his grip on the packaged diapers that he noticed he wasn't moving anymore. Scowling at himself, he picked up the diapers and headed back to Tohru and her friends.

They were still cooing over the baby clothing. None of them even noticed he had come back to put the diapers in the cart. And in a way, that was how he preferred it to be. He could skulk away for a little bit to avoid being scolded at. But another part of him wanted to be thanked for trying to take action in helping out.

_"That's stupid,"_ he thought to himself. _"All I did was retrieve some diapers. Nothing big . . . Not like I rescued someone."_

Shaking his head, Kyou dismissed the thought altogether and focused on something else.

"Okay, do we have everything?" Tohru asked.

"Baby food, diapers, wipes, blanket, bibs . . ." said Uo, reading off a check list. " . . . I think that covers it."

"Great! Checkout stand, here we come!"

Kyou decided to but in.

"I'll pay," he commanded. Tohru objected.

"No, no, it's okay! I can pay. I have money left over from my last payday. Please don't worry."

"Do you have enough?"

"I-I think so, hold on . . ."

Tohru looked through her wallet and smiled.

"Yup, I have enough," she said cheerfully. "Can you watch Katsuya while I pay?"

Kyou nodded and smiled at her as she and her friends turned to the cashier. He looked upon his son with curious, but wary eyes. The infant, who was laying in his chair in the cart's seat, was looking back up at him. His mouth hung open and his fingers were covered in a light coating of saliva. His eyes were wide and liquid, like Tohru's. They reminded him so much of her innocence.

After some time, Katsuya babbled at Kyou with unintelligible squeals and grunts. The baby held his wet hand to him and stretched. Kyou began to reach for his tiny, little palm, wondering what would happen if he grasped it in his own.

"Okay, all done!" Tohru chimed.

Kyou pulled his hand back and ran his other one through his hair as if he were planning to all along. With his eyes on the ground, he followed closely behind the girls again, letting them lead the way back home.


	5. The Ice King

Chapter 5 – The Ice King

"You're getting paint on my hair."

Kyou looked down from the ladder he was standing on, and saw that bits of baby blue paint were leaking from the bottom of the brush handle. Each one was landing on Yuki, who was helping to keep the ladder steady.

"Then maybe you should move outta the way," Kyou said in a tired voice. "I can't be looking out for you."

"You could at least be a little more considerate and let me know that the paint is dripping."

"Look, I didn't know! Just go on the other side of the ladder and shut up."

Yuki scowled, but did as he was told to avoid being hit by more paint. Kyou cleverly hid a smile that was creeping up on his face.

Shigure came in through the open doorway, carrying a tray of dried seaweed, crackers, and rice cakes. Tohru came behind him, holding Katsuya in her arms.

"I brought snacks!" Shigure said happily, already munching on a salty cracker. "It's because we've all been working soooo hard!"

"Shigure, you haven't done anything," Yuki said, picking up a bucket of nails. "Kyou and I have been doing all the work."

"I'm giving moral support!" Shigure pouted, half of the cracker sticking out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to do anything either," Tohru apologized. "I-I'll get to work right away!"

"Don't even think about it," Kyou interrupted. "You just concentrate on taking care of Katsuya. Me and the Rat have it covered for you."

Tohru nodded and sighed, looking at their baby sadly. Kyou turned around and saw this. Feeling a bit rotten, he continued on.

" . . . After we're done, how about you, me, and Katsuya go out for ice cream?"

"O-Oh . . . sounds good!" Tohru answered, looking a bit more cheery than before. "Thank you!"

"Mm-hm," Kyou grunted, turning back around with a light blush.

"Aww, how sweet!" Shigure teased from the ground below. "Kyou and his little family are going out for ice-cream. He's not such a manly-man after all!"

Kyou pursed his lips and flicked his paintbrush towards Shigure.

"Hey!" he cried. "You got paint on my seaweed!"

Yuki couldn't help but smirk a bit. That damn dog had it coming for not helping out with the decorating.

Tohru sat on the floor and put Katsuya on her crossed legs to prop him up. She touched his nose and his cheeks, in awe of how warm they were. Katsuya stuck his tongue out and squirmed with delight at his mother's touch. She then poked his stomach and his chest, feeling his steady and strong heart beat.

It still amazed her, even after this bit of time, that she had the strength to give birth to such a beautiful boy. He was full of vigor and quite alert for an infant of his age. He was to become very smart in her eyes. Katsuya resembled his father so much. An intense gaze held her, yet his eyes carried that innocence that people always teased her about. She looked him in the eyes and looked and looked up at Kyou, who was painting the wall with strict concentration. It made her so proud.

Kyou stopped what he was doing, and slowly turned around to watch Tohru and Katsuya. She was touching his face and he was cooing in response. They looked so comfortable together. It was almost sickeningly sweet to watch, yet he couldn't take his eyes off them.

Then it hit him. Tohru was his. Katsuya was hers. But was Katsuya his?

Kyou looked away and put his forehead on the wet wall, feeling the lump in his throat torture him. All that separated him from and his son was some stupid ladder, yet he felt a million miles away . . .

_"I should get down . . ."_ he thought. _"I should be down there with them. Hugging them . . . Kissing them . . . I need to get down . . ."_

A loud slam woke Kyou up from his thoughts.

"KYOU!" Yuki yelled.

The paint bucket had fallen out of Kyou's hands and landed over Yuki's head, splashing paint all over his body. Now he was struggling to pull the bucket off. Shigure went into laughing spasms.

"Yuki!" Tohru cried. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Yuki said, managing to finally pull the bucket off. This time, Tohru was the one starting to laugh. The paint had made his whole face and head blue, and his hair was sticking up everywhere.

"I'm sorry," Tohru giggled. "I don't mean to l-laugh. It's not funny . . ."

"It's HILARIOUS!" Shigure burst out, dropping the snack tray and holding his aching sides.

Embarrassed, Kyou climbed down the ladder to face Yuki.

"Great, all the paint's gone," Yuki sighed. " . . . Pay attention to what you're doing, will you?"

Surprisingly, Kyou felt no anger toward his yelling enemy. Only a strong sense of failure.

" . . . Sorry . . ." he said quietly. " . . . I . . ."

Yuki's anger subsided and was replaced with confusion.

". . . It's fine," he said, still not fully believing him. " Just . . . Just watch what you're doing next time."

Kyou nodded.

"I'll get a new bucket of paint," he concluded, beginning to leave.

"Don't worry about it, I'll do it," Yuki said, wiping the paint from his face in annoyance. "I'll be back down in a minute."

Yuki ran upstairs to go bathe. Shigure picked up the snack tray and carried it into the kitchen, and Tohru waited for Kyou.

"I hated to laugh, but I have to admit . . ." Tohru started, "seeing the paint bucket land on Yuki was pretty funny. I just hope he's okay."

"Yeah, it was pretty funny," Kyou answered. "He's fine though. It didn't drop far."

" . . . It was nice that you didn't laugh at him," Tohru complimented. "That was very kind of you."

Kyou shrugged it off. He would have laughed anyway, if not for what he had been thinking about. With the baby on his mind, nothing seemed as funny anymore.

"I'm going to change, and we can head out," Kyou said, forcing a smile.

"Yay!" cheered Tohru. "Ice cream! Aren't you happy, Katsuya?"

She held him from under his arms, and like a doll, rocked him side to side while she a mock baby voice for him.

"'_Yes! I'm very happy!' _Haha!_" _

Katsuya seemed to be a little bewildered. Kyou made an almost non-existent chuckle, and went upstairs before anything else was said. Tohru watched him go up and sighed.

" . . . I don't think he thought was very amusing . . ." she said to the infant. Katsuya looked back up at her blankly.

~:~:~:~:~:~

It was almost evening now and the sun had just set. But it was still light enough in the sky to walk around safely. The park was still full of people, considering that it was a relatively warm night. But as Kyou could see, many parents were gathering their kids and getting them ready for the journey home.

Today, Katsuya had gotten his first taste of ice cream from his mother's cone. Apparently, he liked it quite a lot and almost seemed to demand more. Of course, neither Kyou nor Tohru allowed him to have more than a couple of licks to lower the risk of upsetting his delicate digestive system.

At the moment, they were sitting on the bench, letting their already eaten ice cream settle. Katsuya was in his carriage, sound asleep and content with the warm breeze.

"Uh oh," Tohru said suddenly, "it looks like someone doesn't want to go home."

Kyou looked over to see a young toddler crying and pounding his fists in the sand box, while his mother tried to coax him into coming with her. After several minutes of trying, she impatiently picked him up and carried him towards the parking lot, scolding him the whole way.

Tohru shook her head, giggling softly. Kyou looked at the kid, looked at his son, and then unconsciously winced. Was Katsuya going to be like that one day?

"Kids sure can be difficult, huh?" Kyou asked.

"Sometimes," Tohru answered. "But I think once you get them to understand something in a positive way, they'll be eager to follow you. I just think it's about how you approach them when they behave that way."

Kyou looked at her, and listened in. Tohru continued.

" . . . Mom always told me that when kids misbehave, it's because they don't understand why they can't have things their way. It's hard to teach a kid that he can't have what he wants, because when you're little, you want everything. And as adults, we feel bad because the things they want are so simple, and we can't always give it to them. They have to learn that not everything comes hand in hand."

" . . . Do you think . . . Katsuya will learn that?"

Tohru smiled.

"Eventually . . . It might take some time, but . . . I know we'll teach him the right thing. We just have to be patient with him. I think we just have to remember how we felt when we were kids."

" . . . I haven't thought about my childhood in a long time."

"Why's that?"

"I . . . I kinda avoided thinking about it. You know why . . ."

" . . . Yes . . . I remember . . . But you had good memories too, right?"

Kyou looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Yeah . . . I do . . . I remember being with my Master. We went to the store one day and I asked him to buy some rice cakes. He said he would only buy them if I ate them sparingly. Of course, I was a brat, and ate the whole package. And when I got a stomach ache, I expected him to be mad at me. But instead, he said he felt sorry that I didn't listen to him and felt bad for my stomach. So he asked me if I learned my lesson, and gave me some tea to ease the pain. He was so kind to me, even after I disobeyed him. I still don't understand how he could have been so patient with me back then . . . when I was . . ."

Kyou sighed and gave his son a hard look.

" . . . I can't imagine what he thinks of me now . . ."

"I'm sure he doesn't feel any different about you," Tohru said. "Just like how my grandpa doesn't feel any different for me. At first, when he heard I became pregnant, I could tell that he wasn't very happy about it, but he still helped me and supported me. And now that Katsuya's here, he seems much happier than before."

Tohru smiled at the sleeping baby and gently tucked his blanket around him.

" . . . I know that parenting won't be easy . . . but I think I'm ready now. I feel as if I can do anything whenever I see Katsuya. I feel that same way whenever I'm with you."

Kyou nodded, and picked at his nails nervously.

"But Kyou," said Tohru, "there is something I do doubt. And I feel that I should talk to you about it."

Kyou's heart began to pound, as he knew what was coming to him. He knew she could sense his cold nature around her and their baby. He couldn't have hid it forever. Still, this conversation was coming all too soon. Nothing could have prepared him for this.

" . . . What?" Kyou asked skeptically.

"Well . . . I . . . I don't want to upset you by saying this but . . . I get the feeling that something is wrong between you and I. I-I don't know if I did anything to upset you, but . . . but if I did, please tell me, so that I can stop whatever it is that I'm doing . . ."

"Nothing's wrong between us-"

"But I feel as if there is! Whenever I see you, you . . . seem so upset most of the time. I just have the feeling that it's something that I've done . . . and I don't know what it is . . . It's just . . . I don't want you to be upset anymore."

Tohru looked away, her eyes filled with tears.

" . . . I know we may not be able to go back to the way we were for a long while, but . . . I'll try harder to make it seem like nothing's changed . . ."

Kyou took her hand in his and held it tight, feeling guilty but thankful that the conversation led down this path instead of down the one he thought of. Clearly, she hadn't detected his real reason for being down.

"Tohru . . . I promise you . . . You have been nothing but the best to me. Don't doubt yourself so much. You've done nothing wrong . . ."

"Then why have you been so upset lately?"

" . . . . It's . . . It's just something I've been having on my mind. Don't worry about it though, I'll take care of it on my own."

"Kyou," Tohru interrupted. " . . . If there's anything you need to talk to me about, please do. I-I don't know what I'm capable of, but I'll do my best to help you through whatever is bothering you. That's what I'm here for, right? We support each other because . . . we love each other. That's what lovers do . . ."

Kyou smiled and placed his forehead on hers, letting their noses touch. Tohru's blush cued right on time as usual, much to Kyou's content.

"Thanks . . ." he said. "I know I can count on you . . . but I want to take care of this on my own."

"Why?"

" . . . Because . . . Because that's what a man has to do."

"Oh . . . . . o-okay . . . But remember, Katsuya and I are here for you."

Kyou reached for her lips and kissed them slowly, taking in her taste. It felt like it had been forever since they had embraced. He hated to admit it, but it almost felt like Katsuya wasn't with them for the moment. But like always, sweet moments like these never lasted. Katsuya seemed to sense their intimacy and demanded attention. Tohru stopped hesitantly and reached to comfort the infant.

"We should head home, it's getting dark," Kyou said, getting up. Tohru nodded and unlocked the bottom of the carriage. With a smile, he and his love began to lonely walk home.

~:~:~:~:~:~

"Wow . . . eight o'clock already," Shishou exclaimed, wiping his brow. "Shouldn't you be heading home?"

Kyou kept mopping the hardwood floors, his earphones deep in his ears.

" . . . Kyou?" Shishou called.

"Hm?" Kyou asked, pulling one earphone out.

"Shouldn't you be heading home? I appreciate you staying a bit later to help me out, but it's a bit late. You might have skipped dinner and I know you don't like my cooking."

" . . . You're cooking's not that bad," Kyou said lightly, continuing to mop. "Besides . . . this floor is really dirty. Do you students come in with muddy feet or something? It's ridiculous."

"And I thought you hated cleaning," Shishou chuckled.

"I do . . . It's just that you're floor is so disgusting that I have to do something about it."

Shishou chuckled once again and went back into the kitchen to finish making the meal.

"Does Tohru know you're staying late tonight?"

" . . . . . Y-Yeah," Kyou lied.

"You don't sound so sure . . ."

" . . . ."

Shishou came out with a large tray filled with food. For once, most of it looked rather decent, which was rare for someone with such low cooking skills as him.

"Well, I'm glad you're here to enjoy my first successful meal of the year," Shishou laughed. "It's very rare that I have company and a good meal at the same time."  
Kyou put the mop down and joined Shishou at the table. After saying their thank yous, they pulled apart their chopsticks and dug in.

" . . . . Everything alright at Shigure's?" Shishou asked.

"Mm-hm," Kyou nodded, his mouth full of food.

"Honest?"

"Yup."

" . . . Okay, because if not, I'm here to ta-"

"Everything's fine, Master."

" . . . . . Alright."

Kyou scarfed down his food, afraid to waste anymore time than he allowed himself to. After swallowing the last bit of his tea, he excused himself from the table and put his shoes on.

"Thanks for dinner, Master," he said quickly. "It came out really good this time."

"My pleasure," Shishou smiled. "By the way, is Tohru going back to her job anytime soon? Or will you be getting one?"

" . . . We're not sure yet. I'm probably gonna get a job soon. I know some places that are hiring."

"Is Tohru still thinking about raising money for college?"

"Yeah . . . I'm gonna help her."

"That's nice . . . And you'll stay with Katsuya while she's gone?"

Kyou stopped what he was doing and sighed.

" . . . Y-Yeah."

Shishou watched him from behind with curious eyes, but said nothing from his mind.

" . . . I wish you two luck then. Don't hesitate to call me if you need assistance. I know a lot more than you think."

Kyou turned around and chuckled.

"Sure, Master."

With a short nod, Kyou headed out the front door. Shishou watched him go with a worried expression.

Something about his son had definitely changed. He wasn't as . . . confident or upfront. Almost as if he had been humbled by something, and in the wrong way. His actions were too forced and not as carefree as they used to be.

_"What's going on with him?" _he thought.

Perhaps tonight he'd give Shigure a call . . .

~:~:~:~:~:~

Tohru paced back and forth, her hand on her mouth. She didn't know why she was worrying so much. He'd be home soon. He said he would be . . .

To her relief, the door opened, and Kyou stepped inside. He looked quite tired and weary; more so than usual.

Not knowing what to say, she looked up at him, searching for the answer she desperately needed for his absence.

Kyou looked at her with guilty eyes, feeling that he had wronged her too many times.

" . . . I know I have no right to apologize after making you wait like that . . ."  
Tohru still didn't say anything, waiting for him to explain. No longer being able to look her in the eyes, he walked off towards the stairs, too exhausted to explain why he stayed over at Shishou's this long. Tohru watched him leave and said what came to mind.

" . . . You've changed."

Kyou stopped where he was, feeling her words shake him. How could two simple words make him feel as if he had been stabbed in the heart?

Tohru walked past him and headed for the laundry room, leaving him alone.

Kyou sucked in a breath, and began to walk up the stairs. Every step felt heavier than the last. He kept going until climbing became too much of a burden on his body. He slid down and slouched against the wall.

Tohru, who was not far, could faintly hear his cries . . .

* * *

**Ahhh... depressing chapter... **

**Thanks for reading guys! I'm sorry you've had to wait so long. Please comment, if you have something to say. =D Stay tuned!**


	6. Intervention

Chapter 6 – Intervention

Yuki took in the fresh new air. Summer was officially on its way, due to the flowers on the trees falling off, being replaced with vivid, green leaves. A few nights ago, he had heard the chilling sound of his prior enemy crying. He didn't know what was the reason, but Tohru had been affected too. And now, it seemed that neither of them could enjoy the summer that was heading this way.

Which was unfortunate because the both of them adored this season. Tohru loved the strawberries he'd bring home from his secret base, which was now flourishing more than it had ever been, and Kyou went outside more often to go running in the sunlight, enjoying the heat like some feral cat.

He missed Tohru's sunniness for these past few days, and, oddly enough, he missed Kyou too. He hadn't seen either of them much.

At least something was to be done today.

A beige car pulled up in the courtyard and Kyou's master came out of the parked car. Shigure came out of the house to greet him.

"Glad you could come today!" Shigure said with a smile. Shishou returned a grin and allowed himself to be shown into the house. Yuki followed behind them.

They all sat on the couch in the living room and talked amongst themselves.

"Where's Tohru?" Shishou asked.

"Ms. Honda is out buying groceries with Katsuya," Yuki answered.

"How is she doing today?"

"Better . . . but she's still a bit upset."

"And how is Kyou?"

"Same as usual . . ."

"Moping about," Shigure added. "He hasn't been like this since he transformed into his monster form for the first time."

"I can't stand how he's ignoring Ms. Honda," Yuki said angrily. "He of all people should know better!"

"We must have patience," Shishou sighed. "Kyou hasn't been himself, but he won't change if we can't try to understand what he's going through."

"He could at least talk to us about it," Shigure said.

"He's so stubborn . . ." Yuki said.

"He's hurt," Shishou interrupted. "And he's probably being very hard on himself. I think if we can talk some sense into him and get him to speak with Tohru when she returns, things can start turning around for him."

"How is he hurt?" Yuki asked. "It's not Tohru's fault that she got pregnant."

"I remember speaking to him about all this. I had teased him and asked him if he was having kids. Vividly, I remember him saying that he wouldn't be ready for children anytime soon. Not until he could come to terms with his own childhood. This is all very soon for him, and he's responding poorly because of it."

"I understand that, but isn't he being a bit . . . selfish?" Shigure asked. "Tohru is involved, and he seems to be forgetting that."

"We're going to remind him about that," Yuki said, crossly. "I can't believe I actually thought he would do Ms. Honda any good . . ."

"Well, we won't reach him by being negative," Shigure concluded. "If we can't say anything to encourage him while we scold him, then he won't respond well to what we say."

"Where is he, by the way?" Shishou asked, looking around.

"Probably in Tohru's room," Shigure said. "Yuki, why don't you bring him down?"

Yuki scowled at the thought, but got up to retrieve him.

"Remember!" Shigure shouted at him. "Be positive!"

"I honestly don't think that's going to work," Yuki said to himself. As if Kyou deserved any positivity. Not after how he had been treating Tohru. He deserved a scolding and a royal kick in the groin to set him straight. And each foot he put down on a stair step, he imagined Kyou's face underneath.

"That bastard . . ."

He opened the door to Tohru's room, and found him to be on the balcony. Yuki walked up to him, not bothering to be polite.

"You're wanted downstairs," he said brashly. "I suggest you hurry up."

Kyou hadn't seemed to have heard him, and continued to look down at the courtyard.

"Kyou?" Yuki asked. "Stupid cat, did you hear anything I just said?"

Kyou clenched up his fist. Seeing this, Yuki prepared to block a hit. But to his surprise, Kyou walked past him and slammed the door after going out.

"Well, that went well," Yuki sighed. "I hope this talk doesn't take long . . . I have to tend to my garden."

~:~:~:~:~:~

"Kyou!" Shigure said enthusiastically. "Just the man we wanted to see!"

Kyou walked down the stairs, flexing and stretching his muscles.

"Master . . ." he said, seeing Shishou, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk with you, as is Shigure and Yuki."

Kyou took a look around at the people sitting below him. Shigure seemed pretty confident, Shishou looked concerned, and Yuki looked downright pissed off. Whatever the talk was, it wasn't good.

Yuki pulled up a chair in front of the coffee table and looked at Kyou.

"Sit," he demanded.

"I don't hafta listen to you, ya damn rodent!" Kyou yelled.

"Then listen to me," Shishou said. "Please sit down."

Kyou nodded at his master, and sat down in the chair. Yuki sat back down on the couch and looked elsewhere, so that he wouldn't have to look upon Kyou's face.

"Well now, I think we're all accounted for," Shigure said. "Let's get down to business."

"What business?" Kyou asked.

"Kyou," Shishou started. "We all agree that you haven't been yourself lately, and now we want you to talk about it."

Kyou leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"Why?" he asked incredulously. "So you can curse me out like he's been doing for the past few weeks?"

Kyou pointed at Yuki, who sneered back.

"At least I have good reasons to curse you out!" Yuki yelled.

"Yeah, like what?"

"Because of what you're doing to Ms. Honda and Katsuya, I no longer find you fit to be with them!"

Kyou held his tongue, feeling his nerve fall back. He looked away, frustrated for not having anything else to say. For once, Yuki was right . . .

" . . . I'm trying," he said softly.

"Well, you're not trying hard enough!"

"Yuki, that's enough," Shishou interrupted. Yuki let out a slow breath as he tried to calm himself down.

"Kyou, I know it hasn't been easy for you, with all of us breathing down your neck, but we think that you need to let off some steam," Shigure said. "Tohru is right . . . you have changed, and it hasn't been for the better. True, you have been helping Tohru out, but your efforts have been minimal. She's been doing all the work for caring for Katsuya. I'm sure she doesn't really mind, but it's taking a toll on her."

"You told me that you wanted to help her go to college, right?" Shishou added. "Well, if you do that, you're going to have to be more of an active parent. And you truly don't know what to do, then ask me for advice! I've been through it with you, and I can help you again. There is no need to feel that you have to do this on your own."

"Remember when you hid how you felt about having intercourse with Tohru?" Shigure asked. "This is the same situation. If you avoid talking about it, then it's only going to build up. But now that Katsuya is involved, you need to step up and be there for him."

Kyou looked to the ground, his elbows on his knees. Already, he felt exhausted from the discussion. Never before had he felt so ashamed that he couldn't even look Shigure in the eye.

He gritted his teeth, trying to figure out what to say.

Sorry? That wouldn't cut it . . .

To much of his dismay, his eyes began to water. But under no circumstance would he let them see he had become weak.

Shishou knew better than to fall for the wall he put up. Kyou was deeply hurt, and he wouldn't show it for the world.

"Kyou," he said softly. "I know that parenthood isn't something you're ready for. But you're not alone. As confident as Tohru seems, she's not ready either. You are both very young, and have much to learn about becoming self-sustaining adults. It can be nearly impossible to take care of a baby when you can't take care of yourself."

Kyou lowered his head even more, wishing the words would go away. The tears in his eyes were threatening to fall at any moment.

"But know this Kyou . . ." Shishou added. "We believe in you and Tohru. We know that you guys can raise Katsuya to be an excellent balance between the both of you. True, things may not go back to the way they were, but something even better came arise."

"That's easy for you to say . . ." Kyou said, finally. "You already like kids . . . you had the patience to deal with me . . . I'm not like you."

"You think it was easy for me to take you in?" Shishou asked, rhetorically. "You and I are not as different as you think. To be honest, before you . . . I wasn't very interested in children as well. I would see them with their parents, and I could never understand the connection between them. I had always thought they'd be too much of a burden . . . Yes, I thought that. Not that there was anything wrong with me to think that way. I didn't have the experience other parents had. I was young and I didn't know what it was like. Not until I found you . . .

"The first few months were very difficult, as I found it very hard to reach you. I even felt like giving up, because I couldn't find the compassion in my heart to fill that void. I felt that everything I was doing was out of selfishness and a fake form of love and it saddened me to know that I may never feel the tenderness toward you that many parents feel towards their own children."

Kyou closed his eyes, and gulped, trying to swallow that relentless lump in his throat.

"But then something miraculous happened between you and I," Shishou said, smiling. "You gave me something in return for all my hard work. You seemed to understand how hard it was for me, and so . . . you gave me kindness in return. You gave me affection. You gave me something that could replace any of the doubt that I had had before."

Kyou looked up, awaiting his master's answer.

"You gave me love, Kyou," Shishou answered. "A love that could fill that void. When I'd come home, tired and weary, you'd give me the biggest hug you could give. When I'd have a bad day, you'd ask me to spend time with you to take my mind off of all the things that ailed me. When I felt stressed, you'd always tried to make me laugh. When I was at my worst, you showed me that things were never as bad as they seemed.

"You made me a better person. You taught me how to care for another, and gave me an experience I wouldn't trade for the greatest riches in the world."

Kyou looked upon his master, forgetting that Shigure and Yuki were there. His tears fell, and a smile crept up on his face. Shishou put a hand on the crying boy's shoulder.

"Kyou, you have so many great experiences ahead of you," he said. "I assure you, you will enjoy parenthood as you watch Katsuya grow with you. And Tohru will always be there, supporting the both of you. You will all be supporting each other. And when you see Katsuya's personality shine, it will make you feel so proud to know that you took part in creating him."

"And think about it this way Kyou," Shigure added. "To Katsuya, you'll be his master. You can train him to defeat Yuki for you."

"Yes," Shishou chimed in. "The day an apprentice starts to teach, is the day he becomes a master himself."

Yuki chuckled at the thought, imagining a miniature Kyou trying to kick him in the shins.

Kyou dried his eyes and smiled. He hadn't thought of that before . . . Katsuya was his son, which meant he could teach him things. He could be like his new partner in the quest for humiliating that damn rat. It was as if a window had opened up.

"Yeah . . . and then we'll kick his butt for sure!"

"That's the Kyou we know!" Shigure cheered.

"Oh brother, he's back," Yuki sighed, teasingly. "I guess I better leave now . . ."

"Just remember this Kyou," Shishou said. "Parents were never meant to be perfect. So if you make mistakes, don't be too hard on yourself. Tohru will be sure to make mistakes as well. The whole meaning of parenthood is to learn with your child. And that's what makes it fun."

"Yup!" Shigure agreed. "And I'll be sure to teach him all I know too! I'll even show him how to do a "pull-my-finger" trick."

"Out of the question," Yuki said before leaving. "Kyou wouldn't let his own son stay with you for more than a minute."

"For once, I have to agree with the rat," Kyou said. "I'm not letting him anywhere NEAR you."

"Well, let's ask Tohru and see what she thinks," Shigure said. "I'm sure my little flower will agree with me."

"Stop calling her that!" Kyou yelled. "She's not your little flower!"

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Kyou," Shishou said with a smile. "Like I have said before, if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to call on me."

"Thanks Master," Kyou said. " . . . I . . . I didn't know you knew how I felt. I guess I just felt guilty for not really feeling an sort of affection toward him. And I was too cowardly to do anything about it. It's true . . . I didn't want a kid right now, but . . . I'll do my best to get to know him better."

Shishou nodded formally towards his son.

"My son is turning into the adult I believed he could be, and it makes me very happy. Don't feel bad because you can't relate to Katsuya just yet. He is only a baby right now, but as he gets older, you'll see a connection form between the two of you. A connection much like the one you and Tohru formed not long ago. If you think about it, those two relationships are not so different from each other. Each one takes time and patience. If you can find love for Tohru, you will certainly find it for your son."

"Besides," Shigure added. "If you think about it, loving Katsuya is like loving Tohru and yourself. Katsuya is a combination of both of you. What's not to like?"

Kyou smiled and nodded. Shishou said his goodbyes and headed for his car. Kyou followed after him.

"You came out here just to talk to me?" he asked.

"Of course," Shishou said. "I'll talk to you later. Right now, I have to get back to the dojo."

"'Kay . . . Oh . . . Do you know where Tohru is? She didn't tell me where she was going this morning."

"She just went shopping. She should be back-"

Shishou looked over to his side.

"Ah, there she is now."

Tohru was carrying grocery bags in each hand. Katsuya was inside the baby carrier that was strapped to her stomach.

She looked very tired.

Kyou came up to her, took the groceries out her hands and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Kyou," she said with surprise.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked.

"O-Of course . . ." she said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I just need to tell you somethin'."

Back inside the house, Kyou put the groceries down on the kitchen counter and took Tohru by the hand. They went upstairs to their room and closed the door for privacy.

Tohru sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. Katsuya squirmed in his carrier. Kyou stood in front of her and took both of her hands.

"Tohru . . . I haven't been honest with you and . . . I-I'm sorry. I've been a jerk, and I haven't been helping you with Katsuya . . . . . . I . . . I was afraid to let you know that . . . I'm not ready to be a father. I don't feel as connected to Katsuya as you are, and I'm sorry for it."

Tohru looked up at him, confused.

"You . . . don't like him?"

Kyou sat by her, still holding her hands.

"It's not that I don't like him. It's just . . . I don't feel much compassion for him yet. I know that sounds bad, but I just don't have that natural affection for him that you do. I don't know why, but . . . I want to try my best to start feeling that way for him.

"I'm not ready to be a dad, and I still haven't come to terms with my own childhood. So, it's hard for me to be mature and all . . . about having a son."

Tohru looked down, feeling emotionally exhausted.

"I hope you understand . . ." Kyou said, sincerely. "I . . . I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth."

She smiled sadly.

"You're just like my mother . . . the day my dad died," she said. "When dad was gone, she cried and left me alone for a little while. She must have felt very scared."

"Yeah . . . she must have been very selfish."

Tohru looked at Kyou and compared the situations. Her mother had left, but she had come back. And when she did, it was as if something had changed in her. She had this determined look on her face. A determination that came through the tears she shed for her lost love. Even at her young age, Tohru could understand that her mother was going through something difficult.

Kyou was experiencing the same thing.

" . . . I guess . . . when you don't know what to do, you tend to be selfish for a reason," Tohru added. "My mother always did say that you can't truly help others until you help yourself . . . I never understood what she meant by that. But I think I do now.

"I didn't want to admit it . . . but I'm not ready either. I know I said I was, but I wanted to be strong for you and Katsuya. I didn't want to be seen as heartless. But whenever I see Katsuya, I feel that things are going to be alright. And I feel happy that he's here . . . I had hoped that you felt that way too, but it was wrong of me to expect you to feel the way I do."

"You had every reason to expect that, and I feel like a jerk for not being able to be that way for you."

Tohru's smile went away, and her eyes watered.

"It's okay . . ." she said, her voice quivering. Kyou put a hand on her back.

"But you know what?" he asked, putting his face close to hers. "I can become close to Katsuya over time. If I spend time with him, and learn to take care of him as well as you can, I can learn to see him the way you do."

Tohru looked up at him, her eyes wet and puppy-eyed.

"I'm sorry I haven't been doing things the way you want me to, but . . . I'm trying. And I'll try harder . . . And if there is anything I'm doing wrong . . . you can kick me, 'kay?"

Tohru looked into Kyou's genuine eyes. They looked so sorry and humbled, and it made her heart melt to see him this way. This was the boy she fell in love with, and she was proud of him being honest with her. It was all she could ask for from him. Everything else would fall into place one day.

She looked down at their conjoined hands.

"I know our relationship hasn't been perfect," Kyou said. "I haven't been the best person to you. And I haven't been the best father up to this point. But I can change."

Tohru gingerly placed her hands on Kyou's cheeks, smiling as tears rolled down her face.

"Kyou, I wouldn't change you for anything."

Kyou smiled tenderly, and closed his eyes as he put his forehead to hers. Katsuya, who had been surprisingly patient, watched them curiously from below.

* * *

**Hooray for positivity! Haha finally things look like they're starting to turn around. Thanks for reading thus far! Be patient! I am brainstorming for the next chapter. Till then, be sure to look out for "The Ripple Affects". I'll be updating that one next. =) **

**Till then, adieu~ - Dragondustbubblez**


	7. Decisions

Chapter 7 – Decisions

_~Month and half later~_

"Thanks for letting me come over Kyou!"

"... Just don't get carried away... Or I WILL make you leave."

Momiji grinned ear to ear while picking up Katsuya from his crib downstairs. Katsuya groaned in protest, seeing as how he didn't remember who Momiji was.

"Aw, it's okay Katsuya!" Momiji chimed. "I won't hurt you."

Hatori stood with his back against the wall, watching he and Kyou interact with the baby. Tohru was in the kitchen washing dishes, and Shigure was out avoiding his editor. Of course, he was "tricked" into babysitting the house while he was gone, which was odd to say considering all three young adults living there were perfectly capable of watching the place themselves.

And he didn't have any cigarettes on him to pass the time with.

"Hatori, do you want to hold him?" Momiji asked, while he struggled with holding Katsuya, who was still protesting.

"Hatori'll scare him into crying," Kyou said, crossing his arm.

True, Hatori wasn't much of a baby person, but being the doctor he was, he was used to dealing with cranky infants, considering he was the one who gave them their first shot injections. It didn't take a rocket scientist to tell why babies weren't fond of him.

"No he won't," Momiji objected. Katsuya started to bawl.

Hatori took the baby and cradled him while he cried. Slowly, he rocked him back and forth without saying a word. Within moments, Katsuya stopped crying and watched Hatori closely with one hand in his mouth.

"There..." he said. "Let's hope this silence lasts."

"Wow Hatori..." Momiji said in awe. "You're really good with infants... Why can't I do that?"

"Probably because you were holding him wrong," Kyou accused. "If you keep holding him like a cat, he's not going to like you."

"I was holding right! You said so yourself!"

"Then he probably doesn't like you," Kyou concluded, rubbing the back of his sore neck.

"Why wouldn't he like me?" Momiji whined, his eyes growing sad.

"Shh..." Hatori interrupted. "You want him to start crying again?"

He handed Katsuya back to his father, and walked to the nearest bathroom. Momiji sat on the couch and sighed.

"I hope Katsuya starts to like me soon. We could be good friends one day. I don't want to be enemies..."

"He's only about 2 months old," Kyou said. "He won't like you like that for a while."

Momiji pouted, but quickly got over it.

"He's probably just cranky," he concluded. "Right Kyou? … Kyou?"

Kyou was leaning in Hatori's spot on the wall, holding Katsuya close. He seemed to be searching his face, and thinking about something. He looked neither happy nor sad. Merely... interested.

Momiji smiled slightly. He had heard how Kyou was having a hard time accepting his new responsibility. Even after the talk with his master, he was still struggling. But not nearly as much as before.

The look on his face suggested that he was searching for an answer that would not come easily. Looking for the love he could not completely feel yet that Tohru could feel so quickly. Why couldn't he see it? Was it really so hard?

"It's not easy... huh?" Momiji said, looking away.

"... Yeah," Kyou said, not looking away from his son.

"Must be fun though... seeing him do something new everyday. Must be exciting."

"... Yeah," Kyou said, not really listening.

"Maybe one day I'll have a baby of my own..."

"One day..." Kyou sighed, repeating the words he heard. Katsuya looked back at him and gave a genuine smile, his eyes crinkling in the corners. That was the first time he had ever smiled like that. So sure of his happiness...

Kyou's expression softened a bit.

"It'll be awhile before that happens though!" Momiji added. "I don't even have a girlfriend yet. And there's SOOOO much to know about the baby milestones."

"Milestones?" Kyou asked, taking his gaze off of Katsuya.

"Yeah, milestones. You don't know what those are?"

Kyou shook his head. Momiji chuckled.

"Well, milestones are the little things that babies do at certain ages. Like at 2 to 3 months, a baby should be able to lift his head off the ground a little bit. Or at 6 months, roll over and imitate sounds. Stuff like that! I don't know all of them, but there's a lot!"

"Momiji, it's time to go," Hatori said suddenly, stepping in from the hallway.

"Aww, can't we stay longer?" he whined.

"No, I'm ready to leave now. You need to practice your violin piece anyway."

Momiji's face went humorously sour, but turned cheerful again in a minute.

"Alright..."

"You still play that violin?" Kyou asked.

"Yeah... I don't really like it anymore. I want to play something different. I've been begging my dad to get me a drum set, but he says it'll be too loud. But if I get one, I'm putting a bunny on the bass drum!"

"How awkward..." Kyou said to himself.

"Well, goodbye! I'll stop by later. Goodbye Katsuya!"

Momiji pounced out of the house, leaving he, the baby, and Tohru alone. When he was sure he was by himself, Kyou smiled at Katsuya just a bit, and allowed his eyes to water just a bit. Thankfully, he was too small to understand the severity and complicated nature of his emotions. He had been holding them in all day. Lately, he had been working on letting them out, just as his Master had suggested. It wasn't easy, but being around his baby made it more likely to happen. Katsuya looked at him with a questionable look on his face. He almost seemed to be saying, "What's wrong, dad?"

"I'm alright," Kyou answered back out loud. He wiped his eyes before any moisture could come out. "... I'm alright."

A loud crash came from the kitchen, snapping Kyou and Katsuya out of their moment. Carrying him in front of his shoulder and with his arm under his behind, Kyou went into the kitchen to assess the situation.

"What did you do?" Kyou asked with worry.

"Ah..." Tohru sighed, one hand on the side of her face. "I broke a plate. It slipped out of my hand when I was drying it."

Kyou rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Why are you so clumsy?"

"I didn't mean to..." Tohru said, looking away. Kyou chuckled.

"I wasn't scolding you... ding bat," he said, placing a hand on her head and messing with her hair.

Tohru smiled and blushed.

"I-I knew that..."

"If you hold Kat, I'll finish cleaning up for you," Kyou said, handing Katsuya to her.

"Oh, you don't have to do that! I've got it."

"No, it's alright. He misses you anyway."

Tohru smiled and took their baby. Kyou went to work and carefully picked up the broken pieces of ceramic.

"Oh Kyou, I got a call from work," she said. "They were asking if I was ready to go back. They said they're willing to compensate with my hours so I can be here to take care of Katsuya."

"Oh yeah?" Kyou asked. "Are you going back?"

"I don't really know. I feel kind of bad..."

"Why? It's your job. You shouldn't feel bad for wanting to go back."

"I know, but... what about you?"

"Well... I would like a job, but... I don't want to leave you to do all the work here. You need a rest too. I'm not letting you get ahead of yourself like you used to."

"Well... I was going to tell you about what I really wanted to do..."

"And what's that?"

"... I want to quit my job."

"What? Why? I thought things were going well."

"They are, but... I want to do something different. I mean, everyone's in college now, and working towards a goal. I wish I could do the same. But college is so expensive, and I wouldn't have time."

"... What did you want to study into?"

"Culinary. I thought... it would be great to be a cook, since I enjoy doing it so much."

"... You can still do it you know. And I could watch Katsuya in the meantime."

"But what about you, and getting a job?"

"I can wait," Kyou said, rubbing the back of his head.

"But I don't want to have to financially rely on your family. They've already done so much for me and Katsuya..."

"Hey, we're in this together right?"

"Right."

"Then it's okay. And honestly, my family doesn't mind. Shigure freakin' loves you and Akito is cool with you now. If anything, we owe you more."

"...Then why do I feel so guilty?"

"Because you think too much."

After throwing away the broken plate, he took back Katsuya, who was babbling to himself.

"Go on Shigure's computer and look up some colleges that are close by. We'll figure it out."

"You really mean that?"

Kyou nodded. Tohru's face brightened up instantly and she stood on her tip toes to plant a kiss on Kyou's lips. Kyou, who was taken by surprise, blushed at the sudden intimate touch.

"Thank you! I won't let you down, I promise!"

"I know, I know..." Kyou smirked, trying to ignore the hot feeling covering his face. "Just... hurry up. Katsuya's getting hungry."

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

"There, that's the one..."

Shigure quickly typed on his computer to bring a screen. It was the website to show nearby campuses for community colleges.

"There are actually three colleges around here, and each of them is supposed to be pretty good, I hear. You can check on their sites to see what they offer, Tohru."

"How are their prices?" Tohru asked with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Community colleges are much cheaper than universities," Yuki answered from behind. "Plus you can get financial aid, if you qualify for it. I'm looking into one myself."

"Which one are you looking at, Yuki?"

"This one."

Yuki pointed at the screen, where there was a campus called Mori College, which was covered in tall trees. It was a good sized campus with plenty of students. Probably the most green Tohru had ever seen in one place.

"It's beautiful!" she said in awe.

"I'm going to take a tour of it soon. You can come with me if you'd like, Ms. Honda."

"I'd love to!"

"How are the classes though?" Kyou asked, still not convinced about the college.

"Well, let's see," said Shigure. "... They have culinary classes. But you'll have to ask them for more information."

Tohru nodded in determination.

"Want to see the other campuses?" Yuki asked.

"Oh, yes," Tohru answered. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all," Shigure grinned, clicking on another campus. "Oh, here's Bento Halls College. I hear good things about this one. This one is a bit farther away though."

"It's in the city," Yuki said. "Look how tall the buildings are..."

"You can probably get there by bus," Shigure added. "They also have a culinary program here. One of the best I'm assuming."

"What's the last school?" Tohru asked curiously.

"This one... I don't know much about it," Shigure said, pulling it up onto the screen. "It looks pretty nice, but I haven't heard anything on it."

"Plum Acres Academy," Tohru read. "It is rather nice. I like the school's name... It says it's known for its seasonal flower fields."

"Perhaps you should visit there as well and get to know the campus," Shigure suggested.

"I'll write down the phone numbers."

"... Say Kyou, are you planning to take any classes yourself?"

"Hm?" Kyou asked, looking up. "Uh... I haven't really thought 'bout it. Probably not. I was just going to find a job if I had any time. But I have to watch Katsuya so-"

"You should be able to if you can find a good babysitter for Katsuya."

"How about Hatori?" Tohru asked.

"Nah, he's too busy," Kyou answered. "Plus he doesn't like kids."

"Really? But what about Momiji?"

"He's used to him, so that doesn't count. And Momiji's not a kid anymore."

"He still acts like one..." Yuki sighed.

"Maybe Momiji can watch Katsuya," Shigure added. "You know, since he likes him so much."

"Are you crazy?" Kyou objected. "I'm not trusting that bunny to watch Kat. He's too much of a baby himself!"

"But I'm sure Momiji will do just fine!" Tohru said. "He really likes Katsuya a lot!"

"Just because you like kids doesn't mean that you can take care of them. It's a big responsibility."

"Oh look who's talking," Yuki interrupted.

"Shut it, ya damn rodent. I know what I'm talking about."

"Well, before we decide anything, Tohru should look at those campuses," Shigure said, turning his computer off. "And Kyou should go look around for local job openings. And Yuki, perhaps you could babysit once in a while."

Yuki's shoulders rose slightly at the thought. Respectful as he was toward Tohru and her baby, he wasn't much a nurturer. And as much as he hated to admit it, Kyou was right. A baby was a huge responsibility. He wouldn't want to be around if something went wrong.

"I-I'm not so sure about that," Yuki stuttered.

"Afraid to change those diapers, huh?" Shigure teased, rubbing his finger on the boy's nose. Yuki slapped it away.

"You don't have to watch him if you don't want to Yuki," Tohru smiled. "But maybe, if Momiji watches him, you could help him for a little bit until he gets the hang of it?"

"That sounds like something I can manage, Ms. Honda," Yuki said sweetly.

"Out of the question," Kyou said, putting his hands on his hips. "Momiji is NOT watching Kat. My mind's made up. And neither is Yuki."

"Then I suppose I'm the only left to carry out the deed," Shigure said amusingly. "And I'll have Aya help me from time to time-"

"NO!" Kyou and Yuki yelled in unison.

"Oh, so cruel..." Shigure sighed, crocodile tears falling down his face. "Fine, have it your way. But someone will have to watch Katsuya if both of you are to be able to get out. And if it's not me, or Yuki, then who?"

With that, Shigure left his office humming, leaving the three young adults to ponder their obstacle.

"... How about Hatsuharu?" Tohru asked.

"That's worse than Momiji..." Kyou said, his brow furrowing. "No, we need someone else."

"... Kureno?" Yuki asked.

"Eh... He's got enough on his plate. So does Akito, what with the curse being over now."

"How about Uo or Hana?" Tohru added. "Wait, no... I don't want to trouble them... Perhaps we should give Momiji a chance."

Kyou and Yuki exchanged expressions of doubt.

"I mean, he's older now and more responsible," Tohru explained. "I think he can do it!"

"I suppose we could supervise him for a little while until we feel he's ready," Yuki agreed.

"I guess..." Kyou grumbled. "But I still have a bad feeling about this."

"Are you worried about Katsuya?" Tohru asked, gazing happily at Kyou. "That's so sweet!"

Kyou blushed slightly and pouted.

"Well... I'm supposed ta be... He's our kid... And Momiji might spoil him with treats and stuff. I don't want Katsuya to be all whiny like him..."

"Let's just wait and see," Yuki said. "If he does watch him, then I'll stay around to help when I can."

"You will?" Tohru asked, turning to her friend.

Yuki nodded gently and smiled.

"Of course."

"Ah... Yuki," Tohru said with gratitude. "Oh! My phone's vibrating."

Tohru took out her phone to see who was calling. It was her boss.

"I'm going to take this call. I'll be back!"

After a moment or two, Tohru came back in with worry planted on her face.

"I forgot!" she cried. "I have a meeting at work today about my resigning! It starts in thirty minutes."

"Go ahead," Kyou said. "I'll watch Kat."

"Are... are you sure?" Tohru stuttered as Kyou pushed her towards the front door.

"Go on, I got it."

"B-But-"

"Will you get going? We'll be fine."

After telling Kyou to call her for anything, Tohru said her whimpered goodbyes to him and to Katsuya, who was asleep upstairs.

"Well, I'm going to go take a shower," Yuki said, dismissing himself. Kyou watching him walk off and decided to go check on Katsuya. He entered his room, which was completely painted by now. It didn't have much in it yet, except for the crib and the changing station. A few toys from Tohru's baby shower were in the corner.

Katsuya heard his father come in and woke up. He turned his head with some difficulty and verbally called to be held.

"Hey squirt," Kyou said, peering down inside the crib. Katsuya took comfort in seeing him and blew spit bubbles from his mouth.

"I have no idea what we're going to do today... Do you?"

Katsuya looked to the side and put his hand in his mouth.

"Guess not," Kyou sighed. He thought for a moment, and it came to him.

"You know what, Kat? We're going to go look for jobs. How's that sound?"

Katsuya screamed "BA" and wiggled in his spot.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

**Sorry! Short chapter! . But at least now I know what to write next. This was the worst writer's block EVER! And on top of that, college classes AND watching my little sis. Haha such is life. Well anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I feel it will bring many interesting topics to light. Stay tuned! :) And thanks for reading thus far, guys. - Dragondustbubblez**


	8. Day and Night

Chapter 8 – Day and Night

"Okay then, let's see here..."

Kyou seemed to be going in circles, trying to figure out where to look first. Katsuya, who was in a baby carrier attached to his father's chest, looked up at him in confusion.

They had gotten to the middle of town by bike, much to the worry of surrounding passerby. Kyou payed no mind. Katsuya obviously overcame his initial fear, because he was giggling the whole way.

After parking his bike outside, he walked inside a convenience store. There wasn't a "help" sign on the window, but it was worth a shot. But when Kyou walked up to the counter, the owner at the register gave him a judgmental look.

"Hey, are you hiring by any chance?" Kyou asked abruptly. He looked at the guy's name tag. "... Mr. Kawazaki?"

The owner put down his newspaper and glanced at Katsuya.

"Not looking for workers, but you can fill this paper out in the meantime," he answered. From beneath the counter, he pulled out a long form. Kyou began to fill it out immediately. The owner continued to watch him with suspicious eyes.

"So eh... You've got a kid, huh?"

"Yeah..." Kyou answered, his full attention on the form.

"Guess you'll be more careful from now on, huh?"

Kyou winced slightly and looked up at the old man. The owner gave him a knowing look as if to scold him. The tension became very thick, and even Katsuya began to worry. The man looked at the infant, and broke his tight gaze.

Kyou instantly felt his blood boil. What right did this man have to judge? It was none of his business! He did his best to finish the form before he would lose control and tell the old badger to keep out of it.

"Here," he said crossly, pushing the form towards the man. The owner frowned and grumbled.

"Have you no respect?" he asked. "Give it to me correctly."

Kyou grabbed the form and offered it with both hands. The old man snatched it from him and stored it away.

"Young punk," he muttered. "I hope you teach that boy the manners that you don't have."

"Listen, old man," started Kyou, losing his patience. "If you don't like what you see, why'd you let me apply in the first place?"

"...Get outta here! Go on, scram!"

Kyou stormed out of the shop, slamming the door on the way out. Katsuya had gotten quite upset from the argument and began to cry.

"Ah no, don't cry," Kyou groaned. "I'm sorry... Come on, squirt... I'm not mad anymore... shhh..."

He patted Katsuya's back in hopes to calm him down a bit before carrying on. When it wasn't working, Kyou reached into his baby bag and took out a pacifier.

"There ya go," he said, putting it in his son's mouth. "Take a nap for a little while. When you wake up, I'll feed ya."

Amazingly, once Katsuya began to suck on the pacifier, he started to nod off to sleep with his head resting on his dad.

"Guess that did it," Kyou claimed, scratching at his scalp. "I should probably stay off my bike until he wakes up. I could use a good walk anyway."

Well, his first attempt at applying for a job was a complete disaster. There was no way he'd be allowed to work there. But there were plenty of other shops and stands nearby that were more than willing to take him in.

Further down the way was the local grocery store that he and Tohru often went to. They saw the manager on a couple of occasions. From what he could remember, she was a pretty decent lady. Perhaps she would be willing to lend him a job.

Kyou walked into the busy store and took a look around. The manager happened to be around the corner at a customer service counter, helping an employee. She turned around and spotted the young man and his baby.

"Mr. Sohma!" she said, smiling. "I haven't seen you in a little while. I had heard about your newest addition to the family. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Kyou said, blushing slightly as passerby looked around at him.

"What's his name?" the manager asked, coming closer to the sleeping infant to get a better look.

"Katsuya."

"How adorable! He looks just like you. Oh, and how is Ms. Honda these days?"

"She's doin' good. Plannin' on going to college."

"Wow, she's going to be busy then. Are you doing some shopping for her?"

"Actually, I'm here to ask if you're hiring."

"Oh! You're looking for a job. Here, come with me to my office and I'll see what I can do, hm?"

When both of them came into her office, she sat down in her chair and accessed her computer. Kyou took a seat on the opposite side of the desk.

"...Doesn't look like we're hiring at the moment, but if you fill out a form, I'll do my best to find you a spot," the manager answered. She took out a form much like the one Mr. Kawazaki had, and Kyou began to fill it out. "So if you're going to work and Ms. Honda's going to be attending school, who's watching the baby?"

"My family said they would help out on the days we're both busy."

"That's great to hear. You know, when I had my little ones, I stayed home most of the time to watch them while my husband was at work. After some time, I got a little stir crazy. Told him that I needed a job too. Of course, this was near impossible to do because his work schedule was so unpredictable."

"If I get hired... would I be able to change my hours?" Kyou asked. "Tohru hasn't started school yet, and don't know what her hours are."

"Of course! I don't seem that inflexible, do I?"

The manager chuckled a bit, and accepted Kyou's filled out form. Both of them headed out of the office. On the way out of the store, Kyou turned to thank her.  
"Thanks a lot, it really helps," he said.

"It's no trouble at all," the manager said. "I know from Tohru that you're a responsible kid. You'd be a good addition to my store. I'll give you a call later down the line, okay?"

Kyou nodded, said his goodbyes, and continued onward.

For sure, he'd get hired here. He could feel it in his gut. He and Tohru had such good standings with the manager that she often gave them discounts and deals that other customers couldn't get. It sure would be nice to work in such a friendly environment.

For a little while longer, Kyou traveled from store to store, filling out form after form. None of the stores were really looking for work, for most of the young employees there had already been hired a month ago when the pickings were ripe. Some places didn't even let him leave his phone number as a reference for later.

After his long trek, Kyou returned to his bike, and both he and Katsuya rode to a nearby park for some R&R. He sat on a bench in front of a playground, and proceeded to feed Katsuya his mother's stored breast milk. It was still weird for him knowing that this milk came from Tohru and that he was holding it in his hand.

Katsuya drank greedily from the bottle while looking his father straight in the eyes. He was wide awake now, which meant that it would take a while for him to get to sleep that night. Unlucky for him, Kyou was dead tired from all the hiking around town.

"I better get hired from somewhere good," he grumbled. "I spent all day searching my a- uh... butt off." He looked down at Katsuya. "And if anyone thinks otherwise, you are my witness. Alright?"

The infant blinked, and continued to drink. Kyou watched the kids in the playground. There were so many of them, running about and spending all their precious energy. The parents were also sitting on benches, either talking with one another or taking a moment to rest.

"...One day, you'll be running around like that on the jungle gym, chasing other kids, and making sand castles," Kyou said, addressing Katsuya. A big kid nearby came up to smaller little girl and took her ball away. The girl chased after him, screaming and crying. Kyou frowned and looked down at Katsuya, who also turned his eyes to see the scene.

"Don't grow up to be a bully," Kyou told him. "Okay? It's not cool... Be... Be like your mom. Sweet and innocent, and stuff... B-But not too innocent."

Katsuya finished his milk and puffed up his face. Like Tohru had taught him a while back, Kyou placed Kat on his shoulder and patted him on the back. The infant belched softly, and relaxed.

"No spit up this time... cool," Kyou said, wiping Kat's mouth to get any excess milk that may have spilled. "You drink pretty cleanly for a baby."

Kat grabbed one of Kyou's fingers and put it in his mouth.

"Still hungry?" he said. "Well, if you eat me, then who's going to take you home?"

Kat looked up at his father and continued to gnaw on the finger with his squishy gums. He let go and a trail of spit followed. Kyou grimaced slightly and wiped his finger on his T-shirt.

"Thanks..." he sighed sarcastically. Katsuya smiled widely and kicked his feet.  
"Oh, that's funny to you, is it?" Kyou asked. He put Katsuya back into his baby carrier and snapped him in. The sun was starting to set, and he still had to find a way to get Kat to sleep. Kyou was itching to have some more time with Tohru.

"Time to go home, squirt," Kyou said, yawning. Kat wiggled in his carrier, spouting all kinds of babbling. The nearby mothers watched and chuckled with adoration. "Geez, you get more attention from girls than I ever could in a lifetime."

* * *

With an hour of riveting play time and a new, fresh diaper, Katsuya began to nod off to sleep. Kyou felt a surge of victory and carefully brought the infant to his crib upstairs. Tohru was already in her room down the hall, and Kyou intended to surprise her. He crept by slowly to keep from making noise. As far as he could tell, it was kind of fun knowing that she would be surprised.

However, Yuki opened his room door the moment he passed by. Kyou stood still in embarrassment while he rat stared at him questionably.

"...Dare I even ask?" Yuki said, rolling his eyes.

"No, it's none of your damn business," Kyou whispered rashly. "And keep your voice down. Kat's asleep."

"My apologies..." Yuki said nonchalantly, heading towards the toilet.

Having his little romp interrupted, Kyou proceeded into Tohru's room without a sneaky demeanor. He opened the door to find her dressing. Blushing slightly, he closed the door and cleared his throat. Tohru turned around quickly.

"Oh! Kyou!" she exclaimed happily, her cheeks beginning to heat as well. "I didn't hear you come in."

Kyou's plans came to a halt. He had planned to pursue her tonight, but one look at her told him to wait. She looked exhausted and ready to drop. She too must have had a long day. And she looked slightly upset as well.

"Long day?" Kyou asked.

"Yes, it has been," Tohru answered, scratching the back of her head. "I decided to spend one more day at work before giving them my resignation letter."

She smiled sadly and sighed.

"You don't want to leave, do you?" Kyou asked, concern washing over his face.

"To tell the truth, I-I don't, but... I have to move on. I have more responsibilities now. And I was thinking..."

"Yes?"

"Well... Katsuya might be better off with someone staying at home with him. I can't ask you to do that, because you've already started to look for jobs. And I'm used to home life! So it wouldn't be a problem."

"But what about your plans for college?"

"...Katsuya's more important, so I can wait a bit longer!"

"Tohru...That's a really LONG wait."

"I know, but... it's what I should do. And I don't mind! I love you and Katsuya so much! It's what I want to do."

Kyou took Tohru's hands in his.

"Tohru... I want you to go to college," he said softly. "I want you to become a chef. And just because staying at home is an easier route doesn't mean it's right for you."

"But what about Katsuya?"

"We'll work it out. You just focus on finding classes and we'll make a schedule that'll work for all of us. I might get hired at the grocery store we go to, and the manager'll get me some good hours since she likes ya so much."

"Really, Kyou? I'm so happy you're going to work there!"

"It's not set in stone, but I have a good feeling about it. But like I said, don't give up yet... Kat wouldn't want you to give up either."

Tohru thought about it, and smiled at him. It still wasn't her usual sunny smile. There was an evident worry placed behind it. A mother unsure of the future. Kyou wished he could ease it, but this was all he could do.

"I'll think about it some more, Kyou," Tohru promised. "I know you want the best for me."

"I do," Kyou confirmed, kissing her on the forehead. Tohru got into bed and under the covers.

"Are you coming to bed?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah," Kyou answered, already dressing into his pajamas. He crawled in next to her, still hesitant to start anything. She pecked him on the cheek, and turned off the light. In the dark, Kyou remained upright, watching her and convincing himself to take a chance. The more he thought about it, the more his body grew warm. Soon, his shaft began to erect as the protruding thoughts refused to leave his head. He had to try.

Kyou leaned over and put one arm to her other side. He looked down at her resting figure, which turned around to look at him. He reached for her lips, needing her touch to return to him. For a moment, she seemed hesitant. But after a second or two, she drowned in his kiss and placed a hand on his cheek. They twirled tongues around and surfaced to breathe once in a while, getting deeper and deeper. Kyou reached under her blouse and fiddled around with her bra. It would be hard to undo, seeing how she was laying on the back part of it.

Tohru sensed what he was trying to do, and stopped kissing him.

"Kyou," she murmured suddenly. "Kyou..."

"Mm?" Kyou said, paying attention to her.

"I'm really sorry... but... c-can we do this another night? It's not you, it's just I'm not in the best mood for it, I guess."

"...Uh...yeah...sorry."

"It's okay...Goodnight."

Kyou lay on his back and sighed. He rubbed his eyes with his palms and tried his best to not think about intercourse. Slowly, but surely, his erection subsided.

"_Damn..."_ he thought to himself.

Tohru seemed to sense his disappointment, and turned to face him.

"Kyou?" she said, slightly remorseful.

"Yeah?"

"...Um...it's not that I don't want to do it. I guess...this college decision is bugging me."

"It's okay. It would bug me too."

"To be perfectly honest...I've been thinking about _it _too. Maybe we could try tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Mmhm...And I could make a big dinner too. Like you did last time."

"How about we eat out this time? My treat."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! But what about Katsuya?"

"...I can't believe I'm sayin' this but... M-Momiji could-"

"Oh, I'm sure he'd love to! That's a good idea."

"I sure hope so...for Kat's sake..."

* * *

**Hey Folks... Yeah, I know, it's been a LOOONG time. Over the course of this last year, good and bad things have kept me preoccupied. Unfortunately, but true, I have put my online stories on a low priority, mainly for two reasons. One: I'm transferring to USC and it's taking up most of my time, and Two: I officially started writing my new novel, of which I hope to publish next year. :) **

**So I really am sorry for the long wait. You guys are troopers for sticking around THIS long, and I owe to you to keep these stories interesting and intriguing. However, I feel that my writing skills are improving, so hopefully your reading will be more pleasurable in the future! **

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for your loyalty and understanding. :) Talk to you guys in the next update! **

**- Dragondustbubblez**


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